KINKS 

°^Ma^azine- 
Concrete 


FRANKLIN  INSTITUTE  LIBRARY 

PHILADELPHIA 

Chma.6B  /,3.  Book  Mfct &  Accession.^^.^9 


How  To  Do  It 

A  Book  of  "Kinks"  from  the 
magazine  CONCRETE 


Compiled  by 
3  ,  :Ha^ve}X  Whirpje 

Managing  Editor 

Concrete  ;  °9l 


Concrete-Cement  Age  Publishing  Co. 
Detroit 
1919 


Copyright  1919 
Concrete-Cement  Age  Publishing  Co. 


THE  GETTY  GEMTER 


Contents 


Saves  Five  Men  in  Placing  Concrete  (illustrated)  9 

A  Simple  "Hydraulic"  Hoist  . .   10 

Butter  Paddle  for  Rough  Casting  Stucco   11 

Leveling  Trench  Foundations  (illustrated)   12 

Methods  in  Concreting  a  Grand  Stand  (illustrated)  13 

Use  Less  Water  .   14 

Measuring  the  Mixing  Water   15 

Consistency   15 

A  Contractor's  Secret   16 

Putting  Water  in  the  Mixer  First    16 

Two  Men,  a  Mixer — Plus  Ingenuity   17 

Raised  Screeds  and  Modified  Straightedge  Sim- 
plify Leveling  Concrete  Floors   17 

A  Hopper  Helps  in  Placing  Concrete  in  a  Base- 
ment   18 

Handling  Mixer  in  Close  Quarters   18 

To  Prevent  Balling  of  Fine  Mix   18 

Minimum  of  Water   19 

Splatter  Dash  Saves  Form  Cost   19 

Form  Work  r 

Making  Tight  Forms   20 

Unit  Forms  Speed  up  House  Foundations  (illus- 
trated)    20 

Wedging  Flat  Slab  Forms  from  Top  of  the 

Shores   22 

Concrete  Porch  Kink  (illustrated)   23 

Sliding  Forms  for  Small  Buildings  (illustrated) .  24 

A  Porch  Rail  Kink   25 

Building  Stair  Forms  (illustrated)   26 

Waste  Molds  in  Situ   28 

Another  Cap  Form  Detail  (illustrated)   29 

Building  a  Concrete  Cap  for  a  Wall  (illustrated)  30 

Putting  Panels  in  Posts   31 

7  S-O  3  3 


Moving  Forms  with  Trolley  System  (illustrated)  32 

A  Handy  Balustrade  Form  Detail  (illustrated)  . .  33 

Curb  Form  Kink  (illustrated)   34 

Forms  for  Curb  and  Gutter  Construction  (illus- 
trated)  31 

Providing  Bearing  for  Floor  Beams  (illustrated)  36 

Handy  Step  Form  Detail  (illustrated)   37 

Form  Clamps  for  Splicing  Shores  (illustrated).  .  38 

Concrete  Fireplace  Forms  (illustrated)   39 

Forms  for  Concrete  Steps  (illustrated)   42 

Floors,  Sidewalks  and  Pavements 

Filling  Leaky  Cracks  in  Floor  (illustrated)   45 

How  a  New  Floor  Surface  Was  Laid   46 

«  Patching  Openings  in  Pavements  (illustrated)  ...  47 
Re-Usable  Corner  for  Sidewalk  Forms  (illus- 
trated)  48 

Bonding  New  Top  to  Old  Sidewalk  Base   48 

Do  Away  With  Cinders  Under  Sidewalk   49 

Sidewalk  Joints  Around  Trees  Will  Prevent 

Cracking  (illustrated)    50 

A  Combined  Culvert,  Sidewalk  and  Curb   51 

Gouge  Soft  Spots  Out  of  Concrete  Pavements. . .  52 

Strike  Board  with  Raised  Handles  (illustrated) . .  53 

Blue  Prints  for  Paving  Intersections  (illustrated)  54 

Finishing  Concrete  Streets  with  Long  Float   55 

Concrete  Paving  on  Grades  (illustrated)   55 

Smoothing  Up  Concrete  Pavements   57 

Preventing  Cracks  in  Concrete  Roads   57 

Edger  for  Concrete  Roads  (illustrated)   58 

Saving  Men  on  a  Paving  Job   59 

Bulk  Cement  in  Road  Work    60 

Roller  and  Belt  Road  Finish   61 

Filling  Cracks  in  Floors   62 

Patching  Concrete  Floors  Quickly   62 

New  Top  Finish  on  Poor  Floor   63 

For  Concrete  Products  Manufacturers 
Mixer  Loader  Saves  Time  in  Products  Plant 

(illustrated)    65 


Glue  Molds  and  Waste  Molds  of  Plaster   89 

Making  Glue  Molds  (illustrated)   89 

Loader  for  Batch  Mixer  .   91 

Using  Local  Stone  with  Concrete  .   92 

Truck  for  Hauling  Concrete  Stone   92 

Surfaces 

Successfully  Plastering  on  Concrete   94 

Suggestions  for  Impervious  Non-Crazing  Floor 

Surface    95 

Solving  the  Crazing  Problem   97 

Inconspicuous  Concrete  Walks   97 

Finishing  the  Sidewalk.   98 

Pebble  Surfaced  Sidewalk   98 

Chicago    Park   Buildings    Faced    wits  Special 

Mixture    100 

Cleaning  Concrete  Floors    101 

Preventing  Efflorescence   102 

Brush-Finishing  Concrete  Surfaces   103 

Mosaic  in  Concrete  Surfaces   103 

White  Surfaced  Stairs  with  Rubbed  Finish   104 

Miscellaneous 

Patching  a  Leaky  Concrete  Wall  (illustrated) . . .  106 

Strengthening  Columns  of  Reinforced  Concrete. .  107 

Some  Drafting  Room  Kinks   108 

Test  Specimens  Bedded  in  Sand  for  Quick  Work 

(illustrated)    109 

Drip  for  Porch  Floor  (illustrated)   110 

Better  Blueprint  Specifications   Ill 

Mixer  Runs  Make-Shift  Pile  Driver    111 

Blue  Print  Holder  (illustrated)   112 

Fixing  a  Triangle  to  Avoid  Blots  (illustrated) . .  113 

Getting  Stucco  Jobs   113 

•►Leaky  Basements  Made  Waterproof   114 

A  Scaffold  for  Removing  Forms  (illustrated) ...  115 

Improvised  Electric  Light  for  Night  Work   116 

Soap-and-Alum  Waterproofing    117 

Indicating  Concrete  Sections  on  Plans   117 


Improvising  a  Swing  Scaffold  (illustrated)   118 

Calcium  Chloride  to  Accelerate  Hardening   119 

Pay  a  Man  What  He  Earns   120 

Clip  for  Attaching  Wire  Mesh  to  Steel  Work 

(illustrated)    120 

Gravel  Screening  Kinks  (illustrated)   121 

Screening  Gravel  at  the  Pit   122 

A  House  Builder's  Business  Card   122 

Keeping  a  Labor  Supply   123 

Acid-Proofing  Concrete    123 

Using  Space  Under  Barn  Driveway  (illustrated) .  124 

Window  Details  (illustrated)    125 

Underpinning  in  Soft  Soil   127 

Simple  Field  Test  for  Organic  Material  in  Sand. .  128 

Hoisting  Kink  Used  in  Excavating  (illustrated)  . .  129 

Hollow  Pedestal  Over  Brick  "Form"   129 

Handy  Scaffold  Equipment  (illustrated)   130 

An  Emergency  Salamander   130 

Photographs  for  Protection   131 

Keeping  Belt-Course  Brick  in  Line   131 

Leveling  Building  With  Concrete   132 

Preventing  Leaks  in  Concrete  Buildings  (illus- 
trated)  . .  132 

Spare  Tower  Hopper  Serves  as  Car  Unloader 

(illustrated)    134 

Using  Structural  Columns  as  Ventilating  Ducts. .  135 

Mending  Rubber  Hose   135 

Placing  Lead  Flashing  (illustrated)   136 

Removing  Ink  Stains  from  Stucco  and  Concrete.  137 

Caisson  Excavation  Costs  Reduced   139 

New  Ideas  in  Manhole  Construction  (illustrated)  140 
Monthly  Postcard  Photos  for  Advertising  Pur- 
poses   141 

A  Handy  Scaffold  Bracket  (illustrated)   142 

Crushed  Firebrick  as  a  Concrete  Aggregate  for 

Special  Uses   142 


Home-made  Mixer  Loader   66 

Cutting  Molds  Direct  from  Plaster   67 

Consistency  for  Plaster  Molds   67 

A  Bag  Cleaner  Saves  Cement  (illustrated).   68 

Plaster  Mold  Pieces  in  Sand  Holes   69 

Sulphur  Molds   69 

Prepare  Their  Own  Facing  Aggregates   70 

A  Faced  Product  in  Sand  Molds   70 

Time-Saver  for  Block  Manufacturer's  Draftsman 

(illustrated)   71 

Removing  Lumps  from  Casting  Sand   72 

Lightening  a  Lawn  Roller  (illustrated)   73 

A  Container  for  Mixed  Concrete   74 

A  New  Idea  in  Corn  Cribs   74 

Concrete  Stone  Patches   75 

Reinforced  Concrete  "Bankers"   76 

Plaster  Mold  of  Baluster  (illustrated)   77 

Making  Plaster  Molds  Last  Longer   78 

Making  Mold  for  Stone  with  Undercut  Molding 

(illustrated)    79 

Advertising  Concrete  Block  on  the  Job  (illus- 
trated)   80 

Two  Kinks  for  Products  Makers   80 

Concrete  Water  Meter  Boxes   81 

-Finishing  Stone — Tools  Used   81 

Rough  Textured  Block  Made  in  "Tamp"  Machine  82 

A  Kink  in  Flower  Box  Construction  (illustrated)  83 
Handling  Cement,  Aggregate  and  Mixed  Concrete 

in  Products  Plant   83 

Spigot  and  Pipe  from  Agitator   84 

Providing   Setting   Hooks   in   Concrete  Stone 

(illustrated)    85 

Wood  Edges  on  Sand  Molds   85 

Pallets  of  Wood  and  Steel  (illustrated)   86 

Shelf  for  Cement  Bag  on  Mixer   86 

Copper  Slag  for  Facing   87 

~~  Coring  Heavy  Stone  Units   88 

Drain  Tile  Kinks   88 


FOREWORD 


The  contents  of  this  book,  with  few  exceptions, 
were  written  by  readers  of  Concrete.  It  is  purely 
a  compilation  from  the  pages  of  that  magazine.  It 
is  not  in  any  sense  a  general  reference  work  on  con- 
crete, but  presents  merely  the  unrelated  solutions  of 
little  and  big  problems  met  with  in  the  concrete  field. 
Not  everything  in  the  book  represents  best  practice 
— but  the  actual  means  employed  chiefly  in  special 
cases.  The  one  hundred  and  fifty  odd  kinks  are  pre- 
sented because  one  man's  experience  frequently  fits 
in  and  supplies  the  solution  of  another  man's  prob- 
lem. The  source  of  the  information  is  given,  when 
possible,  in  each  case  with  a  reference  to  the  issue  of 
Concrete  in  which  it  was  published. 

The  Editors  of  Concrete  make  a  standing  offer 
to  give  a  copy  of  this  kink  book,  or  of  another  volume 
of  kinks  which  it  is  hoped  soon  to  issue,  to  anyone 
contributing  a  kink  suitable  for  publication  in  the  pages 
of  Concrete. 

— H.  W., 
Concrete,  April,  1919. 


Mixing  and  Placing  Concrete 


Saves  Five  Men  in  Placing  Concrete 

Here  is  something  I  used  with  great  success  while 
putting  up  two  buildings  for  the  Kissel  Motor  Kar 
Co.  The  buildings  were  40'  x  130'  and  56'  x  140', 
with  13"  walls  6'  high.  It  took  6  men  wheeling  con- 
crete up  a  scaffold  to  keep  the  mixer  busy,  and  the 


Cable  Rig  to  Handle  Concrete  Bucket 


scaffold  had  to  be  so  wide  that  they  could  pass  one 
another.  I  now  have  a  plan  by  which  one  man  can 
do  the  work  of  the  six.  I  set  an  A  frame  on  each  end 
of  the  wall  and  stretched  a  cable  over  this,  with 
sheave  and  yale  block  and  bucket  large  enough  to 
take  the  full  batch  from  the  mixer.  The  handle  on 
the  bucket  was  a  little  above  the  center,  so  as  to  make 
it  balance.  The  man  filled  his  bucket  from  the  mixer, 
raised  it  about  l1/*  to  clear  the  top  of  the  wall,  and 
pushed  it  over  the  wall  and  dumped  it  into  the  forms. 
The  forms  had  side  boards  3'  long  and  V  high,  which 
were  moved  about  and  which  prevented  slopping  of 
the  concrete. 

The  mixer  was  set  on  blocking,  so  the  bucket  would 
not  have  to  be  raised  very  high  after  filling  with  con- 
crete to  clear  the  wall. — Arthur  W.  Schauer,  Hartford, 
Wis.    [May,  1918,  p.  154.} 


9 


A  Simple  "Hydraulic"  Hoist 

A  simple  elevator  was  put  into  operation  in  the 
erection  of  a  reinforced  concrete  building  in  Keene, 
N.  H.  It  consisted  of  a  light  wooden  frame  erected 
on  the  roof  and  overhanging  the  edge.  To  the 
frame  two  well-wheels  were  attached  10'  above  the 
roof.  Over  these  wheels  ran  a  rope  and  to  each 
end  of  the  rope  was  attached  a  wooden  bucket.  The 
rope  was  of  such  a  length  that  when  one  bucket 
was  on  the  ground  the  other  would  be  about  3' 
above  the  roof.  Each  bucket  had  a  capacity  of 
2l/2  cu.  ft.  and  one  was  used  for  materials  and  the 
other  for  water.  The  material  bucket  was  slightly 
heavier  than  the  water  bucket,  so  that  when  the 
hoist  was  at  rest  the  material  bucket  would  be  on 
the  ground.  The  well-wheels  were  placed  12'  apart, 
so  that  there  would  be  no  interference  between  the 
buckets  as  they  passed  up  and  down. 

The  water  bucket  was  filled  from  a  50-gal.  barrel. 
Into  this  barrel  water  flowed  continuously  through 
a  24"  pipe  at  50  lbs.  pressure.  The  barrel  was 
placed  in  a  horizontal  position,  near  the  edge  and 
3'  above  the  roof,  with  its  long  axis  parallel  with 
the  edge  of  the  roof.  A  shaft  was  passed  through 
the  heads,  slightly  off  center,  and  a  frame  was 
erected  to  carry  the  shaft  and  allow  it  to  revolve 
freely.  In  one  side  of  the  barrel  near  the  top  a  cir- 
cular opening  was  cut  and  a  sheet  metal  spout  at- 
tached in  such  a  position  that  when  the  barrel  was 
slightly  revolved  the  spout  would  discharge  water 
into  the  water  bucket.  An  arm  was  attached  to 
the  head  of  the  barrel  at  right  angles  to  the  hori- 
zontal axis  and  a  man  was  stationed  beside  the 
barrel  to  fill  the  water  bucket  at  the  proper  time. 
The  hoisting  operation  consisted  in  filling  the  bucket 
on  the  ground  with  the  material  to  be  raised,  then 
revolving  the  water  barrel,  allowing  the  water  to 


flow  into  the  water  bucket.  The  water  bucket 
would  then  descend  and  the  material  bucket  rise. 
When  the  material  arrived  at  the  right  height  it 
would  be  stopped  by  the  water  bucket  reaching  the 
ground  and  the  material  would  be  dumped  into 
wheelbarrows  and  the  water  into  the  sewer. 

This  hoist  was  used  for  raising  slag  for  roofing. 

The  distance  from  ground  to  roof  was  28'.  Two 
men  were  required  to  operate  the  hoist  and  the 
average  load  carried  each  trip  was  %l/2  cu.  ft.  The 
maximum  speed  attained  was  two  trips  per  min. 
An  average  speed  of  65  trips  per  hour  was  main- 
tained. The  men  tending  hoist  received  25  cents 
and  28  cents  per  hour.  From  this  it  is  seen  that 
the  labor  cost  of  raising  the  slag  was  12  cents  per 
ton  (calling  the  weight  of  slag  55  lbs.  per  cu.  ft.). 
The  frame  to  which  the  well-wheels  were  attached 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1.80  and  210',  B.  M.,  of 
lumber  was  required  for  this  purpose.  Besides  this 
there  was  a  slight  expense  for  water  and  the  initial 
cost  of  $2.10  for  making  and  installing  the  hardware 
cn  buckets  and  water  barrel. 

On  this  work  the  material  was  shoveled  from  the 
car  into  wheelbarrows,  dumped  from  wheelbarrow  into 
bucket  then  dumped  from  bucket  into  wheelbarrow 
again  and  wheeled  to  place  near  where  it  was  to  be 
used. 

On  small  jobs  Avhere  the  initial  cost  of  installing' 
an  elevator  is  prohibitive,  this  method  of  hoisting 
may  be  profitably  employed. — A.  P.  Rounds,  Con- 
tractor, Stoneham,  Mass.    [Feb.,  1917,  p.  49.] 

Butter  Paddle  for  Rough  Casting  Stucco 

We  have  learned  that  in  throwing  rough  cast  and 
pebble  dash  stucco,  nothing  in  the  paddle  line  equals 
an  old  butter  paddle  with  a  crooked  handle.  It  seems 
that  the  shape  of  the  thing  holds  the  mud  like  a  man's 
hand. — W.  C.  McCreight,  Oklahoma  City,  Okla.  [June, 
1918,  />.  206.] 

11 


Leveling  Trench  Foundations 

In  the  construction  of  concrete  houses  without  cel- 
lars at  Claymont,  Del.,  for  the  General  Chemical  Co., 
in  which  the  Morrill  system  of  steel  forms  was  used, 
the  foundation  trenches  3'  6"  deep  and  16"  wide  were 
cut  in  the  clay  (see  sketch).   As  soon  as  the  trenches 


MTW  JKOS?  TOUOUTB 

were  completed  screed  boards  were  set  8'  apart  across 
the  trench.  The  trenches  were  then  filled  with  con- 
crete, the  top  was  worked  off  level  with  a  straight 
edge  resting  on  the  screed  boards.  The  foundation 
was  then  complete,  ready  to  receive  the  first  course 
of  the  steel  forms  for  the  first  story  walls.  In  a  por- 
tion of  the  foundation,  stones  weighing  from  10  to  20 
lbs.  were  grouted  into  the  concrete  as  the  trenches 
were  filled.  The  mixer  was  set  up  beside  the  trenches, 
so  that  the  concrete  was  spouted  direct.  The  mixer 
was  moved  along  as  the  work  progressed.    [Jan.,  ipip, 


12 


Methods  in  Concreting  a  Grand  Stand 
W.  S.  Jonason,  Aberdeen,  S.  D.,  built  a  reinforced 
concrete  grand  stand  for  the  South  Dakota  State  Fair 
Assn.,  Huron,  S.  D.,  to  replace  the  old  frame  struc- 
ture and  it  has  a  seating  capacity  of  5,500  people. 
Design  is  by  Homer  M.  Derr,  state  engineer,  at  Pierre, 
S.  D.,  and  work  was  done  under  the  supervision  of 
A.  Bjordstrup,  Mitchell,  S.  D. 


tttTiHL.  OF  TXi/Jl  a,  0*vrc 


sr  &**re  4  Cows 


Details  of  80'  Chute  for  Placing  Concrete 
The  grand  stand  is  constructed  throughout  with  re- 
inforced concrete,  with  a  concrete  roof  supported  by 
a  steel  structure.    It  is  300'  long  and  50'  high  at  the 
back. 

All  beams,  columns  and  deck  were  cast  together. 
The  beams  and  columns  are  spaced  16'  apart,  and  in 
such  manner  that  additional  units  or  sections  may  be 
added  from  time  to  time.   Expansion  joints  are  made 


13 


from  front  to  back  of  the  stand,  and  each  section  is 
entirely  free  from  the  other.  The  slipping  due  to  ex- 
pansion over  the  columns  on  the  joints  is  overcome  by 
the  use  of  rollers  set  in  the  joints. 

The  concrete  was  deposited  on  Hy  Rib  reinforcing, 
acting  both  as  forms  and  reinforcing.  After  the  stand 
was  completed  the  under  side  was  plastered  with  a 
cement  mortar  and  washed  with  a  white  cement. 

A  special  device  was  used  by  the  contractor  for  dis- 
tributing the  concrete  in  the  forms  along  the  deck  of 
the  grand  stand.  Concrete  was  mixed  at  a  central 
plant  and  elevated  at  the  back  and  center  of  the  stand. 
On  the  top  a  runway  was  made  for  carts  to  carry  the 
concrete  from  the  tower  to  the  portable  chute.  This 
chute  was  made  of  inch  boards,  and  ran  from  the  top 
to  the  front  of  the  stand,  making  a  continuous  trough 
of  about  80'.  Small  gates  were  provided  on  the  side 
of  the  chute  and  when  opened  would  close  the  chute 
at  any  point  and  divert  the  concrete  into  the  forms 
at  that  point.  The  chute  was  on  two  tracks  about 
twenty-five  feet  apart.  This  made  it  possible  for  the 
workmen  to  move  the  chute  from  one  end  of  the  stand 
to  the  other  and  deposit  concrete  in  the  desired  forms. 
The  ends  of  the  chute  were  held  up  by  means  of  wire 
running  over  the  top  of  an  arch  5'  above  the  chute 
and  over  the  track.  This  gives  the  entire  device  the 
appearance  of  a  suspension  bridge.  The  device  was 
worked  up  by  the  contractor  and  proved  very  satis- 
factory and  cheap  to  construct.    [Dec,  1918,  p.  194.} 

Use  Less  Water 

Use  that  combination  of  materials  in  your  mix 
which  requires  the  least  water  to  make  it  plastic. 

You  may  as  well  take  3  pounds  of  cement  out  of 
1  sack  batch  as  to  put  in  1  pint  more  water  than 
will  produce  a  workable  consistency. — Prof.  D.  A. 
Abrams,  Lewis  Institute,  Chicago.  [Sept.,  1918,  p. 
79-) 


14 


Measuring  the  Mixing  Water 

Here's  a  foolish  little  kink  which  worked.  When 
you  mix  a  lot  of  concrete,  you  want  to  handle  the 
water  easily  and  without  waste.  So  you  connect  the 
supply  to  flow  into  a  barrel.  Barrel  is  on  the  mix- 
ing platform,  elevated,  of  course,  to  feed  easily  into 
the  power  mixer.  Let  the  man  whose  duty  it  is  to 
measure  the  water  be  stationed  on  the  ground  near 
the  barrel,  very  near.  That  is  important.  Have  the 
valve  within  reach  of  the  man.  Then  measure  in 
the  barrel  just  the  amount  of  water  needed  for  each 
batch  of  concrete.  Bore  a  hole  in  the  side  of  the 
barrel  at  this  level  so  determined,  right  over  said 
man.  Even  though  he  is  occupied  in  checking  loads 
of  stone,  cement  and  sand,  it  is  surprising  how  adept 
he  soon  becomes  in  gauging  the  time  when  the  water 
is  just  about  to  spill — on  him. — K.  E.  Hildreth,  Syra- 
cuse, N.  Y.    [Sept.,  1918,  p.  92.] 

Consistency 

Many  concrete  products  manufacturers  and  many 
contractors  will  do  well  to  give  some  special  study 
to  the  finer  distinctions  in  consistency  of  concrete.  It 
would  be  extreme  to  say  that  only  two  consistencies, 
wet  and  dry,  are  generally  recognized.  But  that  there 
are  six  defined  consistencies  with  wide  difference  in 
resulting  concrete  is  not  fully  appreciated. 

Bearing  on  this  is  a  publication  of  the  Bureau  of 
Standards  (Technologic  Paper  No.  58,  entitled, 
"Strength  and  Other  Properties  of  Concrete  As  Af- 
fected by  Materials  and  Methods  of  Preparation"). 

In  outlining  the  tests,  the  consistencies  referred 
to  in  the  paper  from  the  driest  to  the  wettest  mix- 
ture are  defined.   The  definitions  are  as  follows : 

Dry — Containing  just  sufficient  water  to  cause  the  cement 
and  sand  to  adhere  after  tamping  and  removal  of  the  molds. 

Moist — A  mean  between  the  "dry"  and  "plastic"  consisten- 
cies. 


15 


Plastic — Containing  the  maximum  quantity  of  water  which 
allows  the  removal  of  the  forms  immediately  after  molding. 
The  surface  of  the  mass  shows  web-like  marks  of  neat  cement 
and  water. 

Quaking — A  stiff  mixture  upon  which  water  can  be  brought 
to  the  surface  by  slight  tamping.  The  mass  should  not  flow 
readily. 

Mushy — A  soft,  mushy  mixture  which  is  not  watery,  but 
can  be  spaded  and  readily  worked  into  place  in  the  form. 

Fluid — A  watery  mixture  which  flows  readily  into  place  in 
the  form  with  little  or  no  working. 

[Aug.,  1916,  p.  39.] 

A  Contractor's  Secret 

"Our  success  during  the  year  1917  has  been  in 
selecting  the  best  men  we  could  find,  paying  the  best 
wages,  and  being  constantly  with  our  men,  setting 
the  pace  for  them  to  follow,"  write  Shipe  &  Hoover, 
of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  "A  caller  one  day  found  us  en- 
gaged in  putting  in  a  cellar  wall.  After  watching 
us  for  some  time  he  came  to  me  and  said : 

"  'Will  you  tell  me  the  secret  of  having  your  men 
work  the  way  they  do?  I  have  been  all  through 
this  section  and  I  have  never  seen  anything  like  it 
— nine  men  doing  more  wTork  for  you  than  twelve 
do  in  most  places  using  a  larger  mixer.' 

"The  secret  is  this  :  My  partner  is  at  one  side  see- 
ing that  the  mixer  is  kept  full,  and  I  am  here  at  the 
other  seeing  that  it  is  kept  empty."  [Mar.  1918,  p. 
104]. 

Putting  Water  in  the  Mixer  First 

A  concrete  products  manufacturer  puts  the  water  in 
the  mixer  first — then  the  cement.  Mix  about  two  rev- 
olutions. Then  the  sand  and  rock.  Result — as  good 
a  mix  in  25%  less  time  or  50%  better  mix  in  the  same 
time.  This  is  a  sure  remedy  for  the  "hard  center" 
so  often  seen  in  a  mixer.  This  system  is  as  good  for 
hand  mixing  as  for  machine,  saving  one-half  the  labor. 
[June,  1918,  p.  206.] 


16 


Two  Men,  a  Mixer — Plus  Ingenuity 

Here  is  one  place  I  used  machinery  instead  of 
extra  labor.  I  put  a  concrete  coping  on  a  stone  fire 
wall,  one  story  high,  50'  x  2',  and  6"  deep,  after  put- 
ting up  a  form  on  each  side  of  a  stone  wall. 

I  raised  a  stiff  leg  derrick  on  the  front  wall,  guyed 
by  three  heavy  wires  to  nearby  telephone  poles,  then 
ran  a  24"  rope  over  pulleys  and  back  to  the  ground, 
single  strand. 

I  set  my  Little  Wonder  5  concrete  mixer  close  to 
the  bottom  to  mix  concrete,  dumped  it  into  wheel- 
barrows, and  pulled  it  up  on  the  building  with  my 
Overland  car.  In  this  way  one  man  on  top  and  my- 
self at  the  bottom,  operating  both  machines,  com- 
pleted the  wall  in  2  hours  and  15  minutes.  You  can 
judge  for  yourself  how  many  men  it  would  take  to 
handle  this  concrete  by  hand.  But  I  find  I  have  to 
skimp  on  labor,  so  I  make  machinery  do  the  work. — 
Bruce  E.  Lewis,  Hot  Springs,  S.  D.  [Sept.,  1918, 
p.  93.] 

Raised  Screeds  and  Modified  Straightedge 
Simplify  Leveling  Concrete  Floors 

During  the  construction  of  concrete  floors  for  a 
building  of  the  Naumkeag  Steam  Cotton  Co.  at  Salem. 
Mass.,  by  the  Turner  Const.  Co.,  N.  Y.  C,  a  novel 
method  of  screeding  concrete  floors  was  worked  out. 
Screeds  were  placed  and  leveled  above  the  surface  of 
the  floor,  which  was  continuous  under  them,  in  some 
cases  the  screed  was  clamped  to  columns  so  that  there 
was  no  break  in  the  floor  surface.  Guides  were  se- 
cured to  the  straightedge  and  worked  over  the  raised 
screeds.  This  method  allows  a  man  to  work  to  bet- 
ter advantage  and  with  a  long  straightedge  the  tenden- 
cy to  bend  and  throw  the  floors  out  of  true  is  much 
reduced.    [Oct.,  ipi 5,  p.  1^9.] 


17 


A  Hopper  Helps  in  Placing  Concrete 
in  a  Basement 

How  a  hopper  can  be  used  to  advantage  on  basement 
and  other  comparatively  small  work  was  demonstrated 
on  a  Chicago  basement,  where  a  Standard  mixer  was 
set  to  discharge  into  a  rough  hopper,  which  was  ar- 
ranged so  a  concrete  cart  would  be  filled  from  it.  The 
advantage  of  having  an  easily  controlled  supply  of 
concrete  constantly  ready  is  apparent.  [Nov.,  1917, 
p.  142.} 

Handling  Mixer  in  Close  Quarters 

We  were  bothered  a  great  deal  in  setting  our  con- 
crete mixers  in  close  places  on  bridge  work,  but  finally 
hit  upon  the  plan  of  using  a  small  10-ton  screw  jack, 
which  solved  the  problem  exactly. 

How  do  we  do  it?  We  take  a  12"  plank  2  or  3 
inches  thick,  long  enough  to  reach  both  sills  under- 
neath the  mixer,  place  a  small  block  on  ground,  put 
jack  between  block  and  plank  about  center  of  weight 
of  mixer.  Screw  jack  up  until  it  carries  weight  of 
mixer,  then  one  man  at  each  end  of  mixer  and  the 
machine  swings  in  any  direction.  Where  it  did  take 
us  an  hour  or  two  to  set  a  four  ton  mixer  we  now  set 
it  in  a  couple  of  minutes. — B.  F.  Hatfield,  Converse, 
Ind.    [June,  1918,  />.  206.} 

To  Prevent  Balling  of  Fine  Mix 
We  recently  had  to  use  a  very  fine  facing  mixture 
— rich  in  white  cement,  hydrated  lime,  for  waterproof- 
ing and  fine  stone.  We  found  it  almost  impossible 
to  add  water  and  mix  without  balling.  After  running 
several  experiments  we  found  that  by  running  the  lime 
and  white  cement  through  a  forty  mesh  screen  that 
we  could  overcome  this  trouble.  The  material  for 
facing  was  first  mixed  dry  in  a  power  paddle  mixer 
and  then  dumped  into  a  regular  mortar  box  where 


18 


the  water  was  added  and  all  thoroughly  mixed  with  a 
hoe.  This  was  the  only  way  that  we  could  solve  our 
difficulty.  If  the  water  is  added  in  the  mixer  you  have 
still  some  trouble  with  the  balling  condition. — W.  E. 
Provost.    [Oct.,  1917,  p.  125.] 

Minimum  of  Water 

The  use  of  well-graded  aggregates  results  in  no 
gain  in  strength  unless  the  grading  is  taken  ad- 
vantage of  in  using  the  smaller  quantity  of  water 
which  it  makes  possible. 

It  does  no  good  to  increase  the  mixing  time  unless 
you  use  a  minimum  of  water.  The  use  of  two  or 
three  pints  more  water  than  necessary  in  a  1-bag 
batch  counteracts  the  beneficial  effect  of  increasing 
the  mixing  time  from  45  seconds  to  60  seconds. — 
Prof.  Duff  A.  Abrams,  Lewis  Institute,  Chicago. 
[Sept.,  1918,  p.  81.] 

Splatter  Dash  Saves  Form  Cost 

I  have  built  here  two  pump  houses,  one  boiler  room 
and  several  retaining  walls,  on  which  the  form  work 
to  make  a  rather  smooth  and  pleasing  appearance 
would  have  been  hard  to  obtain  without  a  great  amount 
of  labor.  We  have  avoided  this  by  using  the  same 
forms  as  we  would  use  for  any  work,  afterward  put- 
ting a  splatter  coat  on  the  wall,  when  fairly  dry,  of 
one  part  cement,  one  part  sand  and  one  part  of  Joplin 
chats,  with  1  gal.  of  lime  per  sack  of  cement.  This 
makes  a  pleasing  appearance,  the  rougher  the  better, 
as  long  as  the  texture  is  uniform.  This  was  thrown 
on  direct  to  the  concrete  with  shovel  or  paddle  and 
has  been  very  successful  and  has  never  cost  over 
20  cents  a  yard,  including  material.— D.  K.  Mc- 
Leod,  contractor,  Hutchinson,  Kansas.    [May,  1918, 


19 


Form  Work 


Making  Tight  Forms 

In  making  panels  for  beam  sides,  column  sides, 
etc.,  use  ordinary  Insley  column  clamps  to  draw  up 
the  boards  or  plank  together.  Very  often  the  edges 
of  the  boards  have  a  bend  in  them  and  the  panels 
would  either  have  wide  cracks  between  the  boards 
or  the  boards  would  have  to  be  picked  over.  The 
use  of  these  clamps  draws  up  the  edges  of  the  boards 
while  the  cleats  are  being  nailed  fast. — E.  D.  Stein- 
hagen,  Steinhagen  &  Klinger,  Milwaukee.  [Aug., 
1918,  p.  47.} 

Unit  Forms  Speed  Up  House  Foundations 

In  the  construction  of  25  frame  houses  for  the  In- 
gcrsoll-Rand  Co.,  at  Phillipsburg,  N.  J.,  by  the  Phil- 
lipsbufg  Development  Corp.,  an  interesting  feature  was 
in  connection  with  the  concrete  foundations.  Cellars 
are  20'  2"  by  24'  2"  by  6'  6",  with  an  8"  concrete  wall. 
The  entire  basement  form  work  is  in  eight  panels,  two 
for  each  side  for  the  inside  forms  and  an  equal  num- 
ber outside.  A  detail  shows  the  way  the  panels  are 
keyed  at  the  corners  and  shows  how  they  are  bolted. 
A  \y^"  by  5"  timber  as  a  key  is  shoved  into  place  be- 
tween form  parts,  and  this,  when  bolted,  holds  the 
forms  securely  and  tightens  them  up  at  the  corners. 
With  this  system  it  takes  four  men  10  to  11  hours  to 
strip  and  set  up  the  form  work.  These  four  men  are 
carpenters,  at  60  cts.  per  hour — cheaper  than  carpen- 
ters with  helpers.  These  men  have  a  little  help  when  the 
large  panels  are  being  carried  from  one  job  to  another. 
The  runways  are  set  up  by  two  men  in  two  hours  and 
stripped  in  40  minutes.  The  concrete  is  placed  from 
wheelbarrows  in  from  7  to  8  hours,  and  at  one  setting 


20 


Horizontal  and  Vertical  Sections/  Foundation  Forms 


21 


of  the  mixer,  the  work  requiring  16^  to  17  cu.  yds. 
The  mix  is  1 :3  :5  concrete,  of  cement,  sand  and  cinders. 
The  wooden  forms  for  these  foundations  have  required 
no  repairs  and  are  giving  splendid  surfaces,  special 
care  being  taken  in  spading  the  concrete  to  get  a  fin- 
ished appearance,  so  that  no  surface  treatment  is  re- 
quired.   [Feb.,  1919,  p.  62. \ 

Wedging  Flat  Slab  .Forms  from  Top  of 
the  Shores 

In  flat-slab  floor  construction  the  problem  of  form 
alignment  and  leveling  is  somewhat  different  than 
where  the  beam  and  girder  system  is  used.  In  the 
latter  form  of  construction  the  different  units  are 
usually  aligned  and  leveled  by  the  use  of  a  line  and 
by  wedging  the  shores  from  the  bottom.  In  the 
flat-slab  system  of  floor  construction,  the  floor  is 
more  a  single  unit  and  the  use  of  a  line  for  leveling 
and  crowning  is  impractical.  It  is  much  easier  and 
more  accurate  to  use  a  level  and  rod.  Wedging 
can  still  be  done  from  the  bottom  of  the  shores  but 
the  erection  of  the  form  work  is  facilitated  by  wedg- 
ing from  the  top. 

When  wedging  from  the  bottom,  the  forms  must 
be  leveled  before  the  shores  are  braced  or  else  the 
braces  must  be  loosened  for  leveling.  By  using  the 
system  of  top  wedging,  the  form  work  can  be  erect- 
ed and  braced  and  the  steel  reinforcing  placed  be- 
fore any  leveling  is  done. 

When  the  floor  is  ready  to  be  leveled,  the  level 
is  set  up  at  some  convenient  place,  in  a  window  or 
on  top  of  an  adjoining  building  or  over  a  column 
on  the  building  under  erection  and  the  target  on 
the  rod  set  to  the  proper  grade.  The  column  heads 
should  be  leveled  first  by  reading  the  rod  on  the 
four  sides  of  the  column  and  having  two  carpenters 
underneath  do  the  necessary  wedging.    It  is  best 


22 


to  have  the  floor  a  little  low  rather  than  too  high, 
as  it  is  easier  to  drive  the  wedges  up  a  little  than 
it  is  to  loosen  them  and  lower  the  floor.  After  the 
column  heads  are  leveled,  the  centers  between  col- 
umns are  taken  and  given  the  proper  crown.  After 
this  is  done,  all  other  wedges  are  gone  over  and 
brought  to  a  solid  bearing.  The  horizontal  ledgers 
are  placed  at  the  proper  height  to  be  used  as  a 
scaffold  for  wedging. 

This  method  of  wedging  was  used  with  success 
on  all  five  floors  of  the  Ford  assembly  plant  at 
Omaha,  Neb. — G.  W.  Smith,  Omaha,  Neb.  [Feb., 

W7,  P-  W-] 


Concrete  Porch  Kink 


The  accompanying  sketch  shows  a  small  kink  we  use 
in  putting  up  concrete  porches.  When  we  pour  the 
concrete  for  the  foundation  we  put  in  wooden  blocks 
2'  apart  and  11"  from  the  top  of  wall. 

When  we  are  ready  to  build  forms  for  floor  slab 


Detail  of  Porch  Kink 


all  we  have  to  do  is  nail  2  x  4's  to  the  blocks  and  put 
2  x  10's  on  these  to  carry  the  floor.  This  does  away 
with  leveling  the  dirt  under  the  porch,  and  all  shoring 
and  bracing.  We  have  tried  this  out  a  number  of 
times  and  find  it  is  a  great  time-saver. — M.  Dugan 
Concrete  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O.    [May,  1918,  p. 


23 


Sliding  Forms  for  Small  Buildings 
Sliding  forms  are  in  extensive  use  on  large  struc- 
tures, notably  grain  elevators  and  standpipes.  These 
forms  are  arranged  with  suitable  jacks  so  that  a  con- 
stant upward  movement  is  maintained  at  the  rate  of 
several  feet  per  day. 

The  same  idea  has  been  applied  to  small  farm  struc- 
tures by  J.  N.  Snyder,  Araphoe,  Neb. 

Mr.  Snyder  recently  built  an  ice  house,  which  is  a 
12'  cube  inside.  The  building  is  nearly  all  under- 
ground. The  earth  was  of  such  nature  that  the  exca- 
vation was  cut  clean  and  outer  forms  were  required 
for  but  the  last  two  feet  of  the  wall.  These  were  built 
rigid  in  the  usual  way.  The  inner  form  was  built 
of  four  2'  x  12'  panels  of  2"  plank. 


'jap  <e 

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*tiow  /-ft cote  ro 

fa/e/r/es  /a/  ru**/ 
}A^~  BaaL 

Sliding  Forms  for  Small  Structures 
Mr.  Snyder  writes : 

"I  first  set  a  6"  x  6"  x  12'  post  in  each  corner,  10" 
from  the  excavated  wall  and  about  8"  in  the  ground 
and  anchored  them  in  place  securely  at  the  top.  I 
then  made  four  panels  of  forms.  Each  panel  was 
made  as  follows:  Six  and  a  half  inches  from  each 
end,  I  nailed  a  2  x  4  flatways  to  form  a  guide  to  keep 


24 


the  forms  in  line.  In  the  center  of  each  panel  I  nailed 
a  2  x  4  edgeways.  These  had  y2"  holes  to  which  I 
bolted  a  2  x  4  cut  slightly  less  than  the  inside  dimen- 
sion of  the  forms  to  give  play  room  when  raising  them. 
I  then  set  my  forms  in  place,  bolting  my  2x4  cross 
braces  in  place  (see  sketch)  and  filled  the  forms  with 
1 :5  concrete  mixed  to  a  slightly  quakey  consistency, 
tamping  thoroughly.  I  then  raised  the  whole  form 
1',  the  remaining  foot  of  concrete  being  sufficient  to 
hold  the  forms  and  allow  placing  and  tamping  of  an- 
other V  layer.  I  continued  raising,  filling  and  tamp- 
ing until  the  top  was  reached.  A  short  carpenter's 
bar  was  used  to  raise  the  forms  using  longer  heel 
blocks  at  each  raising. 

"The  walls  were  reinforced  horizontally  against 
earth  pressure. 

"With  one  other  man  I  made  the  forms  and  com- 
pleted the  walls  in  one  day,  using  a  mixer  and  chuting 
the  concrete  into  place. 

"I  can  recommend  this  type  of  form  for  structures 
up  to  20'  square  and  walls  may  be  carried  to  any 
height/'    [June,  ip 18,  p.  222.] 

A  Porch  Rail  Kink 

In  building  a  concrete  porch  under  an  old  roof, 
the  concrete  spindles  were  made  with  fine  sand, 
about  2  sand  to  1  of  cement,  of  a  dry  mix  so  mold 
could  be  removed  immediately.  The  lower  part  of 
the  railing  was  made  in  arches  by  mixing  a  little 
lime  with  fine  sand  and  making  a  bank  where  each 
arch  comes  through  in  the  bottom  railing.  The  con- 
crete was  put  in  the  forms  over  the  sand  banks  and 
the  spindles  set  on  the  green  concrete ;  then  another 
form  with  a  hole  cut  to  fit  over  the  top  of  each 
spindle;  then  the  top  form  was  filled.  The  sand 
cores  were  washed  out  after  the  removal  of  forms. 
— Scott  Healey,  Otsego,  Mich.    [Oct.,  1918,  p.  130.] 


25 


Building  Stair  Forms 

The  method  I  use  for  forming  stairs  is  shown  in 
the  sketch  and  is  good  either  to  finish  at  time  of  pour- 
ing or  to  allow  for  placing  marble  or  other  materials 
afterwards. 

Safety  treads  should  be  placed  after  concrete  has 
been  screeded  off;  curb  or  nosing  bars  should  be  tied 
on  the  risers  before  placing  concrete.  You  will  notice 
that  risers  and  stringers  clear  the  finished  treads,  in 
order  to  finish  treads  if  desired  at  the  time  of  pouring. 

Ends  of  stringers  are  braced,  and  at  center  of  run 
they  should  be  wired  or  bolted  to  prevent  springing 
up  if  concrete  will  be  placed  fast. 


Mr.  Muller's  Stair  Forms 

Concrete  should  be  placed  starting  from  bottom, 
working  up,  keeping  24"  below  finished  tread  to  allow 
for  mortar  or  safety  tread,  and  should  be  stiff  enough 
not  to  run  too  free  and  at  the  same  time  fill  all  voids 
and  should  be  thoroughly  tamped  and  worked  while 
being  placed. 


26 


Risers  and  stringers  can  be  stripped  the  following 
day  for  finishing  risers  and  curbs. 

It  is  much  cheaper  and  easier  to  place  stairs  after 
the  floor  above  is  poured. 

On  a  large  job  it  is  easier  at  times  to  mix  material 
by  hand  at  stair  being  poured,  and  place  it  with 
buckets  or  shovels  or  a  small  chute. 

I  used  this  method  on  an  office  building  and  school 
at  Balboa,  C.  Z.  The  school  stairs  had  safety  treads, 
the  office  building  a  cement  finish  with  rounded  edge. 
— Jack  A.  Muller,  General  Foreman,  Building  Div.. 
Panama  Canal. 


The  installation  of  reinforced  concrete  stairs  is  an 
open  field  for  ingenuity.  Considering  economy,  stabil- 
ity, simplicity  of  construction  and  speed,  I  have  found 
the  following  design  (Fig.  2)  most  adaptable. 


Mr.  Alley's  Stair  Forms 


Built  soffit  of  shiplap  laid  horizontally  on  2" 
x  6"  bearers,  supported  by  4  x  4  headers  on  4  x  4 
shores  placed  as  weight  and  length  of  stairs  requires, 
shiplap  to  extend  6"  past  stair  line  on  both  sides,  then 
nail  a  2  x  6  flat  to  clear  stair  line  2". 


27 


Lay  out  the  risers  and  treads  on  smooth  side  of  2" 
plank  stringers,  risers  to  slant  in  or  toward  stair  slab 
y2"  if  without  nosings;  place  the  stringers  on  the  slab 
and  set  the  risers,  beveled  at  the  bottom  to  allow  free 
use  of  finishing  tools.  Risers  are  to  correspond  in 
length  to  finished  rise  and  are  set  flush  with  the  finished 
tread. 

Place  one  4  x  4,  or  more,  if  width  of  stair  requires, 
longitudinally  in  the  center  of  the  stairs,  and  wire 
firmly  through  the  slab  to  headers  beneath  to  prevent 
floating;  use  4  x  4's  as  clamps  across  stringers  and 
wired  to  headers,  spacing  to  be  determined  by  thick- 
ness of  slab  and  width  of  stairs. — C.  C.  Alley,  Concrete 
Foreman,  Philadelphia.    [Oct.,  ipi8,  p.  129.} 

Waste  Molds  in  Situ 

Where  labor  is  cheap  and  a  few  men  can  be 
trained  for  a  proper  knack  for  their  work,  some 
elaborate  things  can  be  done  with  concrete  trim  cast 
in  place. 

C.  B.  Brun,  New  York  architect,  some  time  ago 
built  a  large  reinforced  concrete  house  in  Cuba.  The 
exterior  treatment  of  cornices,  parapets,  balustrades, 
etc.,  involved  a  good  deal  of  ornamentation  to  be 
cast  in  place  as  a  structural  part  of  the  work,  with 
the  advantage  of  a  good  deal  of  repetition  of  design. 

The  ornamental  features  were  modeled  in  clay; 
plaster  molds  made,  glue  models  cast  in  the  plaster 
molds  and  as  many  waste  molds  of  plaster  cast  as 
there  were  repetitions  in  that  ornament.  Then  plas- 
ter molds  wrere  secured  in  place  as  a  part  of  the 
form  work.  A  very  fine  smooth  mix  was  first  thrown 
into  these  ornamental  molds,  completely  covering 
the  surface,  and  this  immediately  backed  up  with 
the  regular  mix.  When  the  plaster  was  chipped 
off  there  were,  of  course,  surface  imperfections  and 


28 


some  unevenness  of  color.  The  finish  was  made 
by  a  grout  wash  of  a  creamy  consistency,  sopped  on 
and  "sponged"  in  with  a  wad  of  cheese  cloth.  [July, 
ipi8,  p.  26.] 

Another  Cap  Form  Detail 

Your  kink  for  "Building  a  Cap  of  Concrete,,,  in  my 
humble  opinion,  is  not  practical;  it  can  only  be  used 
in  rough  brick  work;  in  front  brick  work  the  joints 
are  too  close  to  get  a  lath  in  between  the  bricks. 

In  concrete  walls  please  tell  me  what  will  happen 
to  said  lath  after  some  "wop"  hits  it  with  a  shovel  or 
dumps  a  cart  load  of  concrete  on  the  lath.  Then  the 
mason  contractors  in  this  section  are  not  so  kind  as 
to  do  any  extra  work  in  putting  in  lath,  and  unless 
you  want  to  keep  a  man  there  to  put  them  in,  you 
would  find  the  lath  in  a  nice  little  pile ;  that  is,  if  the 
masons  did  not  take  them  home  for  firewood. 

What  I  believe  to  be  a  better  method,  and  one  we 
have  used  for  years  for  such  work,  I  show  in  accom- 
panying sketch.  It  is  built  up  as  required  and  we 
have  used  it  with  overhangs  up  to  one  foot.  Holes 
are  drilled  about  2'  apart  and  No.  8  wire  or  pencil 
rod,  which  every  concrete  man  uses  for  form  work, 
is  put  through  the  holes,  one  end  bent  over  and  held 
with  a  staple,  the  other  end  drawn  tight  with  a  ham- 
mer, the  same  as  if  you  were  drawing  a  nail;  when 
tight,  it  is  bent  down  and  held  with  a  staple,  the  same 
as  the  other  end.  As  you  can  readily  see,  you  have 
a  form  for  any  kind  of  wall,  the  form  being  built  on 
the  cantilever  principle,  and  the  more  concrete  put  be- 
hind it  the  tighter  it  holds.  There  are  no  clamps, 
braces  and  in  fact  nothing  in  your  way  at  any  time 
while  working  or  finishing  the  top.  If  desired,  spacers 
can  be  used  to  hold  it  apart  on  the  top  until  the  con- 
crete is  placed  in  the  form. 

29 


This  form,  if  the  wall  is  anywhere  near  level,  will 
level  itself,  and  in  the  five  years  we  have  used  this 
method  have  always  found  it  true  and  level. 

To  remove  the  forms  the  staples  are  drawn  out  and 
the  wires  are  bent  up  straight  and  forms  pulled  off; 


zsp/c/c 

1 

Detail  of  Cap  Form 

the  wires  then  can  be  cut  off  close  to  the  wall  under 
the  overhang,  or  drawn  out  if  the  cap  is  not  too  thick 
or  wide. — R.  Shannon,  J.  H.  &  R.  Shannon  Co.,  Jer- 
sey City,  N.  J.    [Sept.,  1918,  p.  93.] 

Building  a  Concrete  Cap  for  a  Wall 

Few  jobs  are  more  common  than  placing  a  concrete 
cap  on  masonry  walls  of  various  kinds,  yet  it  is  sur- 
prising how  few  concrete  workers  know  how  to  place 
this  form  work  accurately  and  rapidly  and  without  the 
use  of  a  great  amount  of  bracing. 

The  methods  described  are  available  for  masonry 
walls  and  by  the  use  of  a  little  foresight  in  poured  con- 
crete walls.  The  illustration  shows  that  a  line  of  sup- 
ports consisting  of  wood  laths  are  laid  in  the  joints  of 
the  wall  a  few  inches  below  the  bottom  of  the  cap. 
With  concrete  walls  this  could  be  arranged  by  allow- 
ing the  lath  to  run  through  the  walls  and  through  the 
form  work  by  notching  between  the  boards.  These 


30 


laths  form  a  support  strong  enough  to  carry  the  forms 
for  the  cap,  as  shown.  It  is  obvious  that  the  forms 
can  be  leveled  by  the  use  of  wedges  between  the  lath 
and  the  form  boards,  and  that  a  nail  driven  up  through 
the  lath  will  hold  the  forms  securely  to  line. 


Securing  Cap  Forms  to  Wall 


Spreading  can  be  taken  care  of  by  tacking  strips 
across  the  forms.  It  is,  however,  often  desirable  to  be 
able  to  finish  the  cap  before  removing  supports  of  this 
kind.  If  form  clamps  of  some  type  are  not  available 
they  can  be  improvised  from  odd  bits  of  lumber  along 
the  lines  shown  in  the  illustration.    [Feb.,  1917,  p.  5/. J 

Putting  Panels  in  Posts 

In  making  concrete  gate  posts  to  be  used  on  a 
large  country  estate,  the  following  method  served 
to  place  an  attractive  panel  in  the  road  side  of  the 
posts.  We  made  a  form  with  pyramid  top,  laid 
on  the  molding  floor.  The  usual  corner  strips  were 
nailed  in,  with  the  sides  of  two  of  them  flush  with 
the  edges  of  the  form  side  members.  A  rectangular 
frame  of  J4"  strips,  outlining  a  panel,  was  then  po- 
sitioned on  the  bottom  form  board  and  tacked  in 
place.  A  thin  wash  of  fire  clay — though  any  clay 
will  serve  as  well — was  then  run  into  this  panel  to 
a  thickness  of  about  %"  or  so,  when  wet.  Broken 
stone,  as  used  for  the  aggregate,  varying  in  size 


31 


from  24"  to  were  then  placed  in  the  clay,  with 

a  flat  surface  next  to  the  form.  When  the  clay  had 
hardened  somewhat  the  rectangular  form  of  strips 
was  removed,  a  bucket  of  mortar  served  with  care 
covered  the  stones  and  the  rest  of  the  form  was 
then  filled  in  the  usual  way.  Reinforcing  to  the  ex- 
tent of  four  corner  bars  did  not  interfere  with  the 
placing  of  the  panel.  On  removing  the  form,  brush- 
ing out  the  clay  and  washing  each  post  with  a  neat 
mortar  coat,  a  rather  good  looking  ornamental  post 
was  achieved  at  little  additional  cost  over  the  ordi- 
nary unpaneled  ones.  The  faces  of  the  stones  in 
the  panels  were  placed  irregularly,  but  the  idea 
might  well  be  carried  out  in  mosaic  or  initial  pat- 
terns, and  with  regular  or  uniform  faced  pieces. 
However,  for  the  purpose  desired,  this  irregular 
aggregate  gave  an  attractive  effect. — K.  E.  Hildreth, 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.    [Aug.,  1918,  p.  77.] 

Moving  Forms  with  Trolley  System 
In  constructing  a  22-pit  roundhouse  it  was  necessary 
to  move  the  heavy  panel  forms  distances  up  to  600', 
which,  over  the  broken  and  obstructed  ground,  was  a 
very  heavy  task. 


How  the  Trolley  was  Rigged 
To  make  the  work  easy,  two  easily  moved  A  frames 
were  used,  which  were  set  in  suitable  locations  to  bring 
a  cable  stretched  between  them  over  the  forms  and  the 
point  where  they  were  wanted. 


32 


A  single  line  from  a  hoisting  engine  was  passed 
through  snatch  blocks  and  secured  to  the  further  A 
frame.  A  trolley  traveled  on  this  line  and  by  slacking 
the  line  the  forms  were  picked  up  with  tongs  and  the 
line  tightened,  which  raised  the  forms  and  allowed 
them  to  be  transferred  easily  as  desired. 

Lumber  and  other  materials  were  also  handled  easily 
and  cheaply  by  this  rig  which  was  made  by  W.  E. 
Burdett.    [Mar.,  1918,  p.  106.] 


A  Handy  Balustrade  Form  Detail 

The  illustration  shows  how  forms  for  a  bridge  bal- 
ustrade were  built.  L.  M.  Edwards  used  them  on 
the  Olympia  Island  bridge,  Toronto,  according  to  the 
Engineering  Record. 


Balustrade  Forms  That  Come  Out  Easily 


The  sketch  is  self  explanatory.  With  one  side  of 
the  balustrade  forms  removed  the  wedges  and  blocks 
that  hold  the  little  arch  forms  apart  are  removed  and 
out  comes  the  form.    [June,  1918,  p.  206.] 


33 


Curb  Form  Kink 


In  building  curbing  (not  gutter),  use  stakes  that 
stick  above  the  forms  at  least  a  foot,  put  a  spreader 
between  the  planks  and  draw  the  stakes  toward  each 
other  and  put  a  lock  from  stake  to  stake,  instead  of 


Detail  of  Curb  Form  Kink 


nailing  a  cleat  across.  The  locks  are  made  by  notch- 
ing strips  of  wood,  and  are  quick  to  put  on  or  take 
off,  and  leave  room  to  finish  the  top. — Scott  Healey, 
Otsego,  Mich.    [May,  1918,  p.  154.] 

Forms  for  Curb  and  Gutter  Construction 

I  have  what  I  think  is  a  good  thing  in  the  building 
of  combined  curb  and  gutter  of  concrete. 

I  have  been  at  this  kind  of  work  for  six  years  and 
in  starting  out  I  copied  usual  methods  of  construction, 
but  I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  an 
easier  way  to  get  the  expansion  joint  plate  out  than  by 
taking  down  the  front  facing  plank  to  allow  the  re- 
moval of  the  iron.  I  wanted  to  save  the  cost  of  one 
man  facing  up  the  curb,  after  the  front  facing  plank 
came  off.  That  way  of  finishing  is  not  good  for  con- 
crete anyway,  as  it  should  not  be  disturbed  after  it  has 
been  put  in  place,  with  a  proper  facing. 


34 


I  worked  out  the  idea  that  is  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying illustration.  I  used  pine  plank,  2"  x  7",  and 
got  them  molded  out  in  the  proper  shape  at  the  factory 
and  cut  them  8'  long.  This  is  the  length  of  the  block 
in  my  city.  I  then  set  a  stud  in  each  end  of  the  facing 
plank,  having  a  casting  made  to  fit  in  the  end  of  the 
facing  plank.  This  I  fastened  in  with  a  thumb  screw, 
which  makes  the  form  thoroughly  rigid  when  ready 
for  concrete. 


Idea  for  Curb  and  Gutter  Construction 

When  the  sub-base  is  prepared  and  the  back  plank, 
2"  x  12",  is  put  in  place  and  securely  fastened,  any 
intelligent  boy  can  finish  setting  up  the  forms  faster 
than  a  crew  of  eight  men  with  a  small  mixer  can  put  in 
the  concrete. 

After  the  back  form  is  set  up  the  remainder  is  as 
easy  as  hanging  clothes  on  the  line,  and  you  will  have 
curb  and  gutter  absolutely  straight,  with  a  proper 


35 


grade,  and  no  water  remaining  on  it  after  it  is  done. 
Before  the  iron  clamps  are  taken  off,  that  is,  the  clamps 
that  hold  up  the  facing  board,  and  while  the  concrete  is 
deposited,  a  small  piece  of  2-in.  board  strapping  is 
nailed  on  the  face  board  of  the  gutter  form  to  hold  up 
the  facing  plank  until  the  concrete  sets,  then  back  off 
the  thumb  screws,  back  off  the  casting,  which  only 
takes  a  few  minutes;  haul  out  the  joint  iron  and  the 
job  is  done. 

My  front  facing  planks  I  have  used  for  six  seasons 
and  they  are  as  good  today  as  the  day  they  came  from 
the  factory.  By  keeping  them  well  oiled,  they  will  last 
a  long  time. 

With  this  method  of  construction,  when  the  form 
comes  off,  there  is  a  good  smooth  face,  and  as  the 
ccarse  aggregate  and  fine  aggregate  are  all  mixed  to- 
gether, there  is  no  danger  of  crazing  or  hair  cracking 
any  time  in  the  future. 

George  McKnight,  city  engineer  of  Fredericton,  N. 
B.,  says :  "I  have  used  these  forms  this  summer  and 
find  them  very  reliable,  particularly  the  joint  irons, 
which  can  be  removed  without  disturbing  the  concrete 
in  any  way.  The  method  used  to  fasten  the  joint  irons 
to  the  form  makes  a  positive  level  surface  on  the 
curb." — J.  Mai.  Chappell,  Fredericton,  N.  B.  [Apr., 
1917,  p.  141.] 

Providing  Bearing  for  Floor  Beams 

In  the  concrete  walled  houses  at  Claymont,  Del.,  built 
by  the  Morrill  system  with  steel  forms,  for  the  Gen- 
eral Chemical  Co.,  the  first  story  walls  are  8"  thick, 
dropping  back  to  6"  at  the  second  story.  In  order 
to  get  a  4"  bearing  for  the  floor  joists,  and  to  form 
the  offset  to  the  6"  wall,  beveled  blocks,  2"  x  8",  were 
tacked  to  a  form  board  (see  sketch)  ;  the  form  board, 

36 


with  the  beveled  blocks  attached,  was  set  in  the  steel 
form  at  the  required  level.  Quarter  inch  wire  anchors 
were  bedded  in  the  wall  and  left  with  ends  projecting. 


Bearing  for  Floor  Beams 


When  the  wood  floor  joist  were  put  in  place  these 
wire  anchors  were  spiked  to  the  ends  of  the  wood 
joist.    [Jan.,  1919,  p.  17.] 


To  build  concrete  steps  between  walls  I  lay  out  the 
steps  on  the  walls,  then  place  heavy  plank,  say  2  x 
8,  one  against  each  wall,  where  the  end  of  steps  come 
only  about  8"  or  V  above  the  line  of  steps,  as  each 
face  form  or  riser  form  is  separate.  Nail  a  hanger 
or  strip  of  board  2"  from  the  ends  of  the  riser  form 
and  place  the  riser  form  to  the  mark  on  the  wall, 
and  nail  hangers  to  the  plank.    Then  nail  a  brace 


Handy  Step  Form  Detail 


S7 


from  the  plank  to  the  form  in  a  horizontal  position, 
start  at  the  tip  and  place  all  the  forms  in  and  con- 
crete from  the  bottom  up.  I  make  the  forms  out  of 
2x4  and  nail  a  board  on  outside  of  2  x  4  to  get  height 
of  riser  and  a  projection,  put  in  a  quarter  round  (or 


Step  Form  Detail 

use  beveled  board — see  sketch — Editor).  Each  form 
is  set  y%"  high,  so  the  trowel  will  go  under  the  2  x  4. 
(The  lower  bevel — see  sketch — helps  the  finisher. — 
Editor.)  Each  form  is  cut  %"  short.  They  drop  out 
on  removing  the  braces. — Scott  Healy,  Otsego,  Mich. 
[May,  ipi8,  p.  154.} 

Form  Clamps  for  Splicing  Shores 

To  save  the  time  and  prevent  waste  in  splicing 
shores,  the  H.  O.  McMillan  Co.,  Minneapolis,  used 
wire  and  M.  &  M.  clamps,  as  illustrated.  This  arrange- 
ment allows  the  splice  to  be  made  with  two  pieces  of 
V  x  4"  lumber.  A  single  nail  at  each  end  of  each 
"scab"  is  used  with  a  nail  collar,  so  there  is  no  loss 
of  lumber  whatever  in  wrecking. 

38 


A  test  made  on  this  joint  resisted  37,210  lbs.,  and 
the  break  was  10"  below  the  joint.   A  second  test  on 


Shore  Splice  with  M.  &  M.  Clamps 

two  4  x  4's  clamped  side  by  side  with  two  No.  8  wires, 
started  them  sliding  at  2,750  lbs.,  and  the  joint  failed 
at  5,850  lbs.,  after  sliding  6^".    [Apr.,  1918,  p.  45.} 


Concrete  Fireplace  Forms 

Concrete  for  fireplaces  offers  a  pleasing  variation 
from  brick,  especially  for  rugged  effects. 

The  illustration  details  the  form  work  for  the 
fireplace,  illustrated  in  the  January,  1918,  issue  of 
Concrete,  page  14. 

This  fireplace,  as  built,  was  in  a  house  having 
concrete  walls  and  floors,  but  details  are  shown 
adapting  its  use  to  frame  construction.  The  design 
if.  plain  and  the  forms  simple. 

Two  pairs  of  vertical  planks  determine  the  thick- 
ness and  relation  to  the  house  walls.    Against  these 


39 


40 


verticals  are  built  the  mantel  forms  of  dressed  lum- 
ber. The  small  bracket  forms  are  of  wood  and  sheet 
metal  set  in  notches  in  the  main  forms,  which  are 
undercut,  as  shown,  for  clearance  in  stripping.  The 
bracket  forms  are  secured  by  strips  accessible  from 
the  outside. 

The  form  for  the  fireplace  opening  is  drawn  in 
at  its  top  to  conform  to  the  cast  iron  damper,  and 
provides  for  the  face  of  the  fireplace  to  drop  below 
the  level  of  the  damper.  The  entire  job  is  well  re- 
inforced as  shown  by  the  drawings  and  by  odds  and 
ends  of  wire  and  rods  throughout. 

The  concrete  face  consisted  of  a  washed  sand  and 
gravel  having  all  the  pebbles  between  and  }i" 
that  could  be  put  into  the  mix  without  voids.  Con- 
crete was  placed  from  the  outside  in  a  semi-dry 
mix,  the  back  form — a  plank  panel  was  raised  as 
concreting  progressed. 

Forms  were  stripped  in  24  hours  and  the  face  of 
the  work  scrubbed  under  a  stream  of  water  to  ex- 
pose the  aggregate.  The  mantel  shelf  was  faced 
with  sand  mortar  and  when  hard  rubbed  smooth 
with  a  carborundum  brick. 

The  ornaments  on  the  panel  and  hearth  are  green, 
hand-made  tile,  and  the  row  of  red  brick  that  bor- 
ders the  hearth  is  raised  about  1"  to  retain  ashes. 
A  row  of  brick  surrounds  the  ash  dump,  since  they 
can  be  more  readily  replaced  than  concrete  when 
cracking  eventually  comes  at  this  point. 

The  concrete  above  the  mantel  was  left  rough 
and  plastered  with  the  rest  of  the  room,  while  the 
outside  received  a  coat  of  mortar  and  was  dashed 
with  the  exterior  of  the  house.  [Oct.,  />. 
116.] 


41 


Forms  For  Concrete  Steps 

To  build  concrete  steps  that  will  give  satisfaction 
in  service  depends,  so  far  as  the  design  of  the  forms 
is  concerned,  upon  the  correct  proportioning  of  the 
steps,  so  that  they  Avill  "step  easy"  and  look  well, 
and  upon  so  building  the  forms  that  the  concrete 


Forms  for  Concrete  Steps 


can  be  placed  and  the  forms  removed  with  minimum 
labor. 

Many  of  the  badly  proportioned  steps  too  often 
seen  are  the  results  of  the  attempts  of  masons  and 
handymen  to  build  their  own  forms,  without  a 
proper  knowledge  of  carpentry. 

A  good  carpenter's  rule  for  stair  proportioning 
is  that  the  rise  and  run  of  the  step  in  inches,  when 
multiplied,  must  equal  as  nearly  as  possible  66. 
Thus  a  6"  rise  calls  for  an  11"  tread,  and  a  7"  rise 
for  a  9}i"  tread.  This  is  the  stringer  cut  and  ex- 
clusive of  nosings.     For  exterior  concrete  steps, 

42 


where  space  permits,  it  is  good  practice  to  use  this 
rule  and  then  add  1"  to  the  tread  width.  This  does 
not  greatly  change  the  "easy  walking"  qualities  and 
adds  to  the  appearance  of  most  exterior  work.  Keep 
the  risers  low  when  possible,  between  §y2"  and 

Concrete  steps  can  be  roughly  divided  into  those 
built  between  walls  or  buttresses  and  those  where 
the  ends  of  the  steps  are  open,  with  or  without  re- 
turns. 

Where  steps  are  built  between  buttresses,  the 
buttresses  are  generally  built  first  and  the  steps 
built  between  them.  This  simplifies  the  forms  and 
provides  joints  at  the  ends  of  the  steps  in  case  of 
settlement. 

Assuming  a  typical  set  of  house  steps,  it  is  found 
that  the  vertical  height  from  the  walk  to  the  top  of 
a  veranda  floor  is  33",  while  the  run  of  the  string 
is  not  limited,  but  can  be  laid  out  to  present  the 
best  appearance.  The  33"  of  height  evidently  calls 
for  five  risers,  which  are  6.66"  high,  or  to  the  near- 
est y%" — The  tread  width,  according  to  the 
rule,  is  66  ~-  6.6,  or  10",  but  may  be  increased  to 
11",  and  if  a  nosing  is  to  be  used,  the  exposed 
tread  will  actually  be  12",  because  of  the  under  cut 
to  make  the  nosing. 

To  lay  out  the  string,  take  a  10"  plank  and  with 
a  square  lay  out  the  string  exactly  as  for  wooden 
stair  strings,  as  a  working  base.  The  actual  cut- 
ting will  depend  upon  the  shape  of  stair  to  be  built, 
and  the  riser  forms.  Three  common  forms  are  il- 
lustrated (a)  a  perfectly  plain  square  step,  (b)  an 
undercut  step,  (c)  a  step  with  nosing.  The  cut  of 
the  riser  in  the  string  will  vary  from  the  layout  line 
to  accommodate  the  forms,  as  shown  at  a,  b,  and  c. 

In  practice  the  allowance  for  the  forms,  except 
in  the  case  of  type  b,  does  not  actually  affect  the 


43 


cut,  except  at  the  top  or  bottom,  where  a  bearing 
is  provided  for,  to  support  the  forms;  that  is,  the 
thickness  of  the  riser  forms  is  allowed  at  the  ends 
of  the  string. 

The  strings  can  now  be  sawed  out  or,  as  is  often 
done,  a  skeleton  string,  indicated  at  c  in  the  illus- 
tration, can  be  made  by  nailing  strips  of  odds  and 
ends  to  a  2  x  4  or  2  x  6,  using  the  marked  string 
as  a  pattern.  If  a  solid  string  is  used,  it  is  well  to 
set  the  riser  forms  below  the  actual  lines,  by 
means  of  a  little  block  tacked  to  each  string  above 
the  riser  form.  This  provides  a  space  of  for 
troweling,  so  that  the  tread  can  be  finished  before 
the  forms  are  removed. 

Riser  forms  should  be  beveled  at  the  bottom,  as 
shown  in  the  illustrations,  for  the  same  reason,  un- 
less a  cove  corner  is  desired,  when  the  riser  board 
is  rounded,  as  shown  at  c.  The  appearance  of  most 
steps  is  improved  by  a  nosing  which  is  easily  made 
by  the  use  of  a  riser  board  in  two  sections.  This 
is  a  convenient  arrangement,  because,  having  made 
the  forms,  they  may  be  adjusted  to  the  exact  height 
required,  and  can  frequently  be  re-used.  In  setting 
the  forms  allowance  should  be  made  for  the  pitch 
of  the  treads,  which  should  be  about  %"  from  back 
to  front.  This  can  be  done  by  setting  each  riser 
form  }i"  higher  than  the  top  of  the  one  below  it. 

Care  is  necessary  in  finishing  the  treads  to  see 
that  this  pitch  is  maintained  and  that  in  settling  a 
hollow  is  not  formed  in  the  middle  of  the  tread. 
The  pitch  of  the  steps  makes  them  easier  to  the 
user  and  serves  to  drain  off  water  rapidly. 

Steps  with  open  strings,  without  buttresses,  while 
more  complicated  as  to  form  work,  in  general  simply 
involve  the  return  of  riser  members  in  some  form. 
Such  steps  present  individual  problems  according 
to  their  design.    [Nov.,  ipi />.  151.] 


44 


Floors,  Sidewalks  and  Pavements 

Filling  Leaky  Cracks  in  Floor 

After  a  very  large  reinforced  concrete  laundry 
building  was  completed,  the  topping  of  the  floors  (put 
on  at  the  time  the  slabs  were  poured)  began  to  show 
cracks  running  through  the  whole  thing.  Water  nat- 
urally seeped  through.  The  cracks  were  too  small 
to  permit  their  being  filled  with  anything  that  would 
stand  expansion  and  contraction.  Cutting  them  out 
and  filling  with  asphaltum  compounds  was  out  of  th^ 
question  for  several  reasons,  so  here  is  what  I  did. 


I  had  the  cracks  cut  out  just  about  y%"  wide  and 
deep,  the  cut  always  having  the  crack  in  the  cen- 
ter. 

After  all  dust  had  been  blown  out  I  hardened  the 
cut  with  a  liquid  concrete  hardener.  This  was  to 
make  every  little  protruding  chip  strong  and  also  to 
prevent  any  possible  action  on  the  asphalt.  Then  the 
cracks  were  washed  out  to  remove  the  deposit  that 
the  hardener  had  produced.  When  perfectly  dry  I 
ran  a  blow  torch  in  the  cut  to  warm  it  and  poured 
about  %"  of  Elaterite,  well  heated,  into  it.  It  was 
poured  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  imprison  air  and  made 


How  Cracks  Were  Filled 


45 


to  stick  to  side  in  a  convex  manner  (see  sketch). 
Then  I  filled  the  cuts  with  water  and  when  thoroughly 
soaked,  filled  them  in  with  1 :2  concrete.  Then  a  few 
days  later  I  rubbed  them  down  with  carborundum  and 
hardened  them  like  glass.  The  asphalt  stands  all  the 
working  and  the  concrete  filling  the  trucking.  These 
cracks  in  places  are  under  terrific  strains  and  the 
2,000  lin.  ft.  of  them  are  perfectly  tight.  Above  the 
boilers  is  a  washroom  and  the  floor  is  hot  and  they 
flood  it  with  cold  water,  etc.  In  each  panel  were,  say, 
four  cracks.  Two  stay  perfectly  tight  and  cannot  be 
detected.  One  or  two  act  as  expansion  joints.  The 
concrete  that  I  put  in  and  the  edge  of  the  old  floors 
are  so  hardened  that  even  when  they  open  no  trucks 
damage  them  and  they  are  absolutely  tight.  Being 
rubbed  smooth,  the  trucks  don't  jar  and  hurt  them. — 
Robert  B.  Lammens,  Los  Angeles,  Cal.    [May,  1918, 

How  New  Floor  Surface  Was  Laid 

I  had  to  put  a  new  surface  on  a  concrete  floor 
where  a  composition  floor  had  gone  bad. 

I  chiseled  some  of  the  old  concrete  off,  so  that  I 
would  not  put  less  than  of  top  on,  then  stretched 
a  wire  netting  (chicken  fence  wire)  and  fastened  it 
to  the  concrete  and  gave  the  concrete  a  good  wet- 
ting and  kept  it  continually  wet,  as  there  were  four 
steam  pipes  running  through  the  8'  x  12'  room, 
also  heat  from  the  room  below,  which  kept  floor 
warm.  Next  morning  I  again  wet  the  concrete 
thoroughly,  then  scattered  neat  cement  over  it  and 
broomed  it  so  that  cement  paste  covered  all  the 
old  concrete.  Then  I  proceeded  to  put  on  the  top 
(1 :2).  I  took  care  that  the  old  concrete  was  always 
wet,  swept  a  neat  cement  grout  over  it  and  troweled 
some  of  the  mortar  in.  As  soon  as  it  was  ready  to 
finish  I  laid  it  off  in  blocks  25"  square  and  cut  the 


48 


top  with  my  pointer  clear  down  to  the  old  concrete, 
just  as  I  would  have  jointed  it  off  with  the  jointer, 
but  I  didn't  use  the  jointer. 

Then  I  troweled  over  the  cuts.  As  the  floor  was 
finished  there  were  no  cuts  to  be  seen.  Two  days 
after,  very  fine  hair  cracks  appeared  where  I  had 
cut  the  top.  They  could  hardly  be  seen  except  by 
stooping  down  and  looking  for  them.  No  other 
cracks  have  appeared  except  in  the  corner  where 
the  steam  pipes  were  and  where  the  top  had  dried 
too  quickly  and  a  few  heat  cracks  appeared.  Other- 
wise the  floor  is  sound  and  solid. 

I  have  never  before  seen  this  method  suggested. 
There  are  floors  laid  with  joints,  but  they  have  ob- 
jections, whereas  the  hair  joints  that  I  made  leave 
the  floor  smooth  and  level  and  are  quickly  and  easily 
made. — A.  K.  Siebrandt,  Pendleton,  Ore.  [Apr.,  1917, 
p.  170.] 


Patching  Concrete  Pavement 


Patching  Openings  in  Pavements 

Whenever  it  is  necessary  to  cut  an  opening  in  a  con- 
crete pavement  for  sewers,  etc.,  it  frequently  happens 
that  the  patch  develops  cracks.  This  is  no  doubt  due 
to  the  variation  between  the  old  and  the  new  mixtures 
and  the  settlement  of  the  freshly  loosened  earth. 

The  accompanying  sketch  indicates  my  method  of 
eliminating  the  tendency  to  crack.  The  concrete  is 
simply  laid  in  the  form  of  an  arch. — H.  L.  Laughlin, 
Chicago.    [Feb.,  1917,  p.  52.] 


47 


Re-Usable  Corner  for  Sidewalk  Forms 
Forms  for  concrete  sidewalks  with  curves  of  very 
short  radii  are  troublesome  to  set  up  at  the  curves. 
At  such  curves  as  those  made  where  approach  walks 
splay  into  the  main  walk,  made-up  form  curves,  as 
shown  in  the  illustration,  can  be  used  to  good  advant- 
age. 


Details  of  Re-usable  Corner  for  Sidewalk  Forms 
A  frame  of  two  pieces  of  2"  x  4"  carries  two  boards 
whose  outer  edges  are  cut  to  the  shape  of  the  desired 
curve  for  the  walk.  A  piece  of  tin  or  sheet  iron  is 
nailed  to  these  edges  of  the  boards  to  form  the  curve 
of  the  form.  The  straight  parts  of  the  walk  forms  are 
set  up  and  the  boards  at  each  corner  sawed  off  to  let 
the  corner  form  in  afterward.  The  corner  forms 
can  be  used  repeatedly. — J.  L.  Cozzens,  Philadephia. 
[May,  1918,  p.  153.] 

Bonding  New  Top  to  Old  Sidewalk  Base 
When  an  old  sidewalk  surface  goes  to  pieces  I  sug- 
gest that  all  topping  that  has  gone  bad  be  taken  off, 
and  the  surface  be  cleaned,  washed  and  scrubbed  thor- 
oughly with  a  wire  brush  so  that  no  particles  of  con- 
crete or  other  material  will  be  left  on  the  eld  surface. 


48 


Then  mix  a  top  course  of  2  parts  cement  and  3  parts 
clean,  sharp,  screened  sand,  but  before  applying  this 
top  coat,  thoroughly  wet  down  the  whole  concrete  sur- 
face with  water  and  sprinkle  with  neat  cement.  Use 
an  old  broom  and  brush  this  neat  cement  thoroughly 
into  the  concrete  base  and  while  it  is  moist,  follow 
up  with  the  top  coat.  Before  this  is  rodded  level, 
trowel  a  small  proportion  of  the  top  coat  thoroughly 
into  the  concrete.  This  will  eliminate  any  chances 
of  air  cells  and  air  pockets  between  the  top  coat  and 
concrete  base.  Then  finish  the  top  coat  by  rodding  it 
to  the  proper  heights  and  grades.  When  the  top  coat 
is  troweled,  it  should  be  finished  with  the  fewest  pos- 
sible operations,  as  the  more  it  is  troweled,  the  more 
it  will  have  a  tendency  to  draw  the  water  out  of  the 
top  finish  and  loosen  it  from  the  base. — Frank  L.  Shoe- 
maker.   [Aug.,  1917,  p.  5/.] 

Do  Away  With  Cinders  Under  Sidewalk 
It  is  pointed  out  by  a  reader  of  Concrete  that  in 
spite  of  its  futility,  cities  still  continue  to  specify  a 
cinder  sub-base  under  concrete  sidewalks.  Cinders 
were  originally  included  for  the  purpose  of  providing 
adequate  drainage,  thereby  preventing  heaving  from 
frost.  When  frequent  side  drains  to  sewers  were 
placed,  they  probably  served  some  purpose.  But  now 
side  drains  are  no  longer  required  and  the  sub-base  has 
really  degenerated  into  a  water  basin,  into  which  water 
flows  from  all  the  surrounding  soil. 

If  the  natural  soil  drainage  is  good  there  is  no  need 
for  a  cinder  base ;  if  the  drainage  is  poor,  a  pocket  is 
provider  for  cohering  water.  In  expense,  a  sub-base 
not  only  involves  the  cost  of  the  cinders,  cost  of  haul- 
ing, cost  of  handling  and  placing,  but  also  the  excava- 
tion of  the  soil  for  a  depth  of  9"  to  12"  and  its  sub- 
sequent disposal. 

Concrete  sidewalks  have  been  in  successful  use  in 
all  climates  and  over  all  soil  conditions,  without  any 


49 


special  provision  for  underdrainage.    Since  it  is  a 
needless  expense  and  consequently  more  than  worth-  * 
less,  the  cinder  sub-base  requirement  should  be  elim- 
inated from  every  sidewalk  specification.    [June,  ipi8, 
p.  205.] 

Sidewalk  Joints  Around  Trees  Will 
Prevent  Cracking 

The  accompanying  illustration  from  Contractors'  At- 
las shows  a  method  used  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  to  provide 
space  for  future  growth  of  trees.  If  some  provision 
is  not  made  in  concrete  sidewalks,  cracks  may  be 
caused  by  expansion  of  the  tree  trunk  and  roots. 


B^>  \£ 

Jointing  Sidewalk  Around  Trees 


As  the  tree  trunk  grows  in  size,  the  section  A  is  re- 
moved by  hand — or  the  roots  themselves  raise  it — and 
still  later,  if  necessary,  the  section  B  may  be  removed. 
The  joints  at  each  of  these  sections  allow  this  to  be 
done  without  cracking  or  disturbing  the  adjoining 
slabs  of  the  sidewalk. 

The  joints  may  be  conveniently  formed  of  one  or 
two  thicknesses  of  tar-paper.  This  completely  pre- 
vents any  bond  between  sections  A  and  B  and  the 
balance  of  the  sidewalk.    [June,  1918,  p.  206.] 


50 


A  Combined  Culvert,  Sidewalk,  and  Curb 

A  storm  sewer  of  unusual  construction  has  recently 
been  completed  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  under  the  di- 
rection of  Manley  Osgood,  City  Engineer,  Ann  Arbor, 
Mich. 

Conditions  were  such  that  it  was  not  necessary  to 
use  a  deep  excavation  so,  a  combined  sewer,  curb  and 
sidewalk  was  decided  to  be  satisfactory  and  econom- 
ical. The  grade  of  the  invert  follows  a  uniform  pitch 
but  the  grade  of  the  cover  which  also  forms  the 
sidewalk  is  varied  to  conform  to  local  grade.  The 
invert  and  the  walls  are  6"  thick  of  plain  concrete, 
while  the  6"  slab  top  is  reinforced  with  15  sq.  in.  of 
reinforcing  per  lin.  ft.,  placed  in  the  form  of  mesh. 
The  invert  was  placed  by  grading  the  excavation  and 
sweeping  the  concrete  to  shape  by  templates.  Wood 
forms  were  used  for  the  vertical  walls,  the  sides  of 
the  excavation  serving  as  a  form  wherever  possible. 
In  placing  the  top  the  surface  was  finished  as  a  side- 
walk and  the  edges,  which  serve  as  a  curb,  were  fin- 
ished to  below  grade. 

The  total  length  of  the  sewer  was  1,350'.  The  ex- 
cavation was  mostly  in  stiff  clay,  which  held  up  and 
did  not  require  outside  forms,  but  a  few  soft  spots 
required  outer  forms. 

COSTS  OF  SEWER  AND  SIDEWALK 


1,640  cu.  yds.  excavation  @  65  cts  $1,066.00 

9,646.4  sq.  ft.  reinforcing  @  2  cts  ;   192.93 

540.6  cu.  yds.  of  concrete  (3)  $8  45   4,568.07 

110.5  lin.  ft.  of  12"  pipe  @  33c   36.47 

3  tees,  12"   @   $1.00   3.00 

5  elbows,  12"  <5)  $1.00   5.00 

7  iron  box  iniets  @   $12   84.00 

8  cast  iron  covers  @  $5.50   44.00 

8  cast  iron  covers  @  $5.50   44.00 

Minor    extras    51.63 


Total  $6,051.10 


A  construction  gang  of  8  men  to  10  men  was  em- 
ployed and  a  paving  mixer  was  used  which  discharged 
directly  into  forms.  The  contractors  were  Barnes  and 
O'Neil,  Allegan,  Mich.    [Nov.,  1916,  p.  159.} 


51 


Gouge  Soft  Spots  Out  of  Concrete 
Pavements 
In  laying  concrete  pavements,  after  the  top  has  been 
surfaced  and  left  to  harden  but  before  the  covering  of 
earth  is  thrown  on,  a  careful  inspection  of  the  surface 
should  be  made.  By  the  time  the  concrete  has  set 
long  enough  to  sustain  a  man's  weight  without  show- 
ing, small  bright  and  shining  spots  will  be  seen  on  the 
surface.  They  may  be  few  and  far  between  or  there 
may  be  a  great  number  of  them.  If  the  inspector  will 
insert  his  pocket  knife  into  these  bright  places  he  will 
find  them  soft  in  comparison  with  the  rest  of  the  sur- 
face. It  will  be  found  that  these  soft  spots  are  earth 
or  some  kind  of  clay  or  loam,  or  a  lump  of  sand,  wood, 
coal  or  soft  stone.  All  this  soft  material  should  be  dug 
out,  the  holes  cleaned  and  then  filled  with  fine  and 
rich  concrete  filling  the  holes  a  little  more  than  full. 
In  spite  of  all  the  care  possible  in  providing  clean  and 
pure  material,  it  is  impossible  not  to  have  some  foreign 
matter  get  into  the  concrete,  and  the  adoption  of  the 
foregoing  kink  will  prevent  many  a  hole  in  the  sur- 
face of  a  concrete  pavement,  especially  if  the  stone 
constituent  of  the  concrete  is  gravel. — Walter  E. 
Emery,  Supt  of  Highways,  Peoria,  111.  [May,  ipi8, 
P-  * '55'] 

Double  Diking  for  Curing  Concrete  Roads 
Wherever  concrete  can  be  cured  by  ponding,  that 
method  is  to  be  preferred  over  all  others.  California 
was  probably  the  first  state  to  practice  the  flooding 
of  the  finished  concrete  pavement  with  a  view  to  keep- 
ing moisture  present,  to  enable  the  concrete  to  acquire 
strength  and  hardness  under  proper  conditions. 

Even  where  water  is  obtainable  for  use  in  this  man- 
ner it  is  of  course  desirable  to  prevent  unnecessary 
loss.  This  is  particularly  true  in  hot  climates,  where 
evaporation  is  rapid  and  where  scarcity  of  water  more 
often  prevails. 


52 


The  original  method  of  diking  roads  in  California 
has  been  improved  upon  by  adding  an  additional  long- 
itudinal dike  near  the  edge  of  the  concrete.  This  pre- 
vents unnecessary  loss  of  water  and  gives  double  as- 
surance that  concrete  will  be  covered  at  the  crown 
of  the  pavement  as  well  as  at  the  sides.  These  two 
precautions  are  very  essential  and  the  added  dike  seems 
to  make  the  desired  ends  more  certain.    [Nov.,  1916, 

P-  154*} 

Strike  Board  with  Raised  Handles 

In  the  construction  of  the  Duwamish-Renton  Junc- 
tion Road,  laid  this  year  by  R.  M.  Hardy  in  King 
County,  Washington,  the  workmen  raised  serious  ob- 


Siot  View  £>id  View 

Strike  Board  with  Raised  Handles 


jection  to  the  continued  stooping  position  necessary  in 
the  use  of  the  strike  board,  says  Concrete  Highway 
Magazine.  Handles  were  made  of  y2"  round  iron, 
bent  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  diagram,  and 
fitted  with  hand  grips  consisting  of  short  lengths  of 
rubber  hose  slipped  on  to  the  handle  framing.  The 
handles  were  then  bolted  to  the  strike  board  at  each 
end,  making  the  labor  of  "running"  the  heavy  20' 
strike  board  so  much  easier  that  no  complaints  have 
been  heard  and  that  part  of  the  work  has  gone  for- 
ward without  a  hitch.    [June,  1918,  p.  222.] 


53 


Blueprints  for  Paving  Intersection 

A  bunch  of  blueprints  can  be  made  from  one 
drawing  like  the  sketch,  and  then  elevations,  measure- 
ments and  names  of  streets  filled  in  for  every  inter- 
section in  your  paving  district,  as  follows :  1,  name 
of  cross  streets ;  2,  stake  elevation  at  each  end  of 
radius;  3,  measurement  from  hub  stake  to  radius 


Make  Up  Blue  Prints  and  Fill  in  White  Spaces,  Here 
Shown  in  Black 

stakes;  4,  distance  of  curb  from  property  line;  5, 
distances  from  back  of  curbs  across  street;  6,  for 
name  of  street. 

The  blank  space  on  bottom  can  be  used  by  engi- 
neer for  any  notation  he  sees  fit  to  use  it  for,  such 
as  legends,  etc. — Charles  Thomas,  Amarillo,  Texas. 
[May,  ipi8,  p.  156.} 


Finishing  Concrete  Streets  with 
Long  Float 

In  placing  a  two-course  concrete  pavement  on 
Eleventh  street,  Wichita  Falls,  Tex.,  a  novel  method 
of  finishing  was  employed  which  gave  most  excellent 
results,  says  the  Concrete  Highway  Magazine. 

Two  1"  x  6"  boards,  each  equal  in  length  to  one- 
half  the  width  of  the  pavement,  were  spliced  so  as  to 
make  a  jointed  plank,  the  length  of  which  was  equal 
to  the  width  of  the  street.  At  each  end  of  this  was 
nailed  a  short  piece  of  2"  stock  so  notched  that  the 
outer  end  rested  on  the  curb  and  the  bottom  of  the 
float  was  at  the  gutter  grade.  A  hole  was  bored  near 
the  lower  end  of  this  at  an  angle  of  about  30°  and 
wooden  handles  were  inserted.  A  man  at  each  end 
then  pushed  and  pulled  the  float  over  the  pavement, 
finishing  in  one  operation  the  whole  width  of  the  street, 
the  float  being  drawn  across  the  surface  as  many  times 
as  was  necessary  to  obtain  the  required  evenness. 

This  process  eliminated  much  of  the  excess  water 
and  gave  an  even  surface  but  not  one  as  gritty  as  that 
produced  by  the  belt  finish.    [Oct.,  1917,  p.  no.] 

Concrete  Paving  on  Grades 
Concrete,  at  one  time  considered  in  New  York  State 
as  unsuitable  for  grades  steeper  than  5%»,  is  now  being 
used  on  grades  of  9%.  H.  Eltinge  Breed,  first  deputy 
commissioner,  New  York  State  Highway  Commission, 
in  an  article  in  American  City,  says,  "for  heavy  motor 
truck  traffic,  the  concrete  pavement  is  desirable  on 
grades  of  9%,  or  possibly  10%."  Such  grades,  how- 
ever, involve  some  special  considerations  which  Mr. 
Breed  describes  and  which  are  summarized  as  follows : 
"The  work  should  proceed  from  the  bottom  of  the 
grade  uphill.  This  will  permit  screeding  without  wavi- 
ness.  A  reasonably  dry  mix  should  be  used;  not  so 
dry  that  tamping  is  necessary ;  care  and  a  little  experi- 


55 


meriting  in  the  field  will  give  the  exact  amount  of 
water  necessary.  Particular  care  should  be  taken  to 
place  all  joints  perpendicular  to  the  surface.  The  joint 
material  should  be  placed  about  J^"  below  the  surface, 
so  that  the  screeding  and  necessary  floating  may  be 
continued  over  the  top  of  the  joint,  to  make  the  sur- 
face smooth.  When  the  cracks  come  at  the  joints, 
the  spalling  can  be  taken  care  of  by  pouring  the  tar 
and  sand.  The  least  possible  screeding  to  secure  the 
necessary  surface  on  the  concrete  should  be  done  and 
the  floating  should  be  minimized. 


Non-Creeper  Expansion  Joint 


"The  surface  should  be  broomed.  This  will,  for  a 
time,  give  the  pavement  sufficient  roughness  to  hold 
traffic  fairly  well.  It  has  been  suggested  many  times 
that  concrete  on  grades  be  scored  or  marked ;  but  as  it 
is  only  a  short  space  of  time  before  these  scorings  or 
markings  are  worn  smooth,  the  extra  cost  of  the  work 
is  not  commensurate  with  the  results. 

"To  overcome  a  tendency  of  the  concrete  slabs  to 
creep  down  hill,  the  writer  designed  a  non-creeper 
joint,  which  is  now  being  tested  in  construction  work 
so  as  to  determine  its  possible  advantages.  Joints  must 
be  absolutely  perpendicular  to  the  surface."  [May, 
1918,  p.  186.] 

56 


Smoothing  Up  Concrete  Pavements 
To  eliminate  transverse  waves  in  concrete  roads  so 
disagreeable  to  swiftly  moving  traffic,  S.  P.  Baird, 
member,  A.  S.  C.  E.,  of  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  says 
(Concrete  Highway  Magazine)  that  he  has  found  that 
a  float  approximately  10'  long  is  the  best  device  that 
can  be  used.  With  such  a  float  two  men  are  required, 
one  at  each  end,  on  separate  bridges,  and  float  from 
one  edge  to  the  center.  In  reality  such  a  float  is  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  a  longitudinal  strikeboard 
which  smooths  down  all  the  spots  that  may  be  left 
in  the  surface  by  imperfect  finishing. 

To  prevent  floating  out  the  expansion  joints,  he  has 
found  it  a  good  practice  to  nail  on  the  lower  edge  of 
the  filler  a  row  of  water  soaked  lath.  These  keep  the 
joints  in  a  vertical  position  and  prevent  them  from 
being  disturbed  when  floating.    [Oct.,  1917,  p.  119.] 

Preventing*  Cracks  in  Concrete  Roads 
It  must  be  emphasized  that  great  effort  should  be 
exerted  to  protect  the  concrete  during  its  initial  stages 
of  hardening.  Do  not  mix  it  any  wetter  than  neces- 
sary to  obtan  smooth,  yet  economical  construction. 
Protect  it  from  sudden  decrease  in  temperature  and 
keep  it  wet  for  at  least  2  weeks  in  order  to  prevent 
undue  shrinkage  while  the  concrete  is  green.  Much 
attention  should  be  given  the  sub-base,  for,  as  has 
been  pointed  out,  the  friction  at  the  base  causes  trans- 
verse cracks.  This  friction  may  be  greatly  reduced 
by  proper  care  in  the  preparation  of  the  sub-base  and 
in  this  way  the  cracks  may  be  widely  distributed,  if 
not  entirely  eliminated.  In  addition,  provide  proper 
drainage  to  keep  the  sub-base  as  dry  as  possible,  so 
that  the  effect  of  frost  and  the  settlement  due  to  mois- 
ture may  be  eliminated.  Finally,  design  the  slab  as 
to  thickness  to  carry  the  loads  it  is  supposed  to  carry, 
irrespective  of  whether  the  sub-base  offers  uniform 
bearing  or  not.    [Oct.,  1917,  p.  113.] 


57 


Edger  for  Concrete  Roads 

While  serving  as  Resident  Engineer  of  Concrete 
Road  Construction  under  the  Massachusetts  Highway 
Commission,  Earle  O.  Turner,  at  the  College  of  En- 
gineering of  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic  Institute,  says, 
in  the  Concrete  Highzvay  Magazine,  that  he  had  occa- 
sion to  improvise  an  edger,  being  unable  to  locate  one 
which  would  meet  with  his  requirement,  as  on  the 
work  under  construction  it  was  desired  to  turn  the 
edge  of  the  pavement  over  on  a  3-in.  radius  and  the 
only  edger  available  in  the  local  stores  was  one  with 
a  radius  of 


T 


hi 


c 

•  

S  i-J 

lnit,otiy  this  *os  the  futl  %/hch 
thickness  but  was  subseauent/y 
ground  down  and  found  to  - 
operate  to  better  odvontooe 

Detail  of  Home  Made  Edger 

A  sketch  was  made,  as  shown  in  the  accompanying 
figure,  and  the  local  blacksmith  turned  out  a  tool 
which  was  entirely  acceptable,  with  one  objection,  that 
he  did  not  bevel  off  the  edge,  but  left  the  full  thickness 
of  metal  which  caused  the  stone  to  be  picked  up  as 
the  edger  ran  along  the  inside  of  the  form.  When 
this  fault  was  corrected,  it  was  found  that  a  clean  edge 
of  a  3-in.  circular  curve  was  easily  finished  and  gave 
the  road  a  solid  and  pleasing  appearance. 

A  radius  as  great  as  3"  is  not  often  used  on  con- 
crete road  work,  V/2"  being  the  amount  of  curvature 
usually  called  for.  The  edger  could  be  made  up,  how- 
ever, for  any  desired  radius.    [July,  1917,  p.  7.] 


53 


Saving  Men  on  a  Paving  Job 

We  herewith  submit  a  labor-saving  device  on  con- 
crete paving.  We  operate  Koehring  and  Chicago 
mixers.  We  operate  both  swing  boom  and  revolv- 
ing chute  distributors.  We  conceived  the  idea  of 
constructing  four  specially  built  carts  for  each  ma- 
chine, to  carry  the  mineral  aggregate  from  storage 
piles  to  mixer.  The  carts  are  low  built  and  narrow- 
gauge,  in  order  to  handle  them  conveniently  at  the 
hoist.  They  are  equipped  with  dump  body,  contain- 
ing 9  cu.  ft.,  separated  into  two  compartments,  rear 
compartment  being  3  cu.  ft.,  with  a  swinging  tail 
gate,  the  second  compartment  being  6  cu.  ft.,  with 
a  swinging  gate  between  the  two  compartments. 
Beds  are  built  long  and  narrow  so  as  to  dump  quick- 
ly and  to  allow  the  body  to  clear  of  its  load  before 
the  cart  goes  off  the  hoist  pan. 

The  dump  and  the  tail  gate  are  operated  by  the 
driver  in  the  cart.  We  load  our  gravel  with  a  Key- 
stone shovel  and  on  a  narrow  street  or  in  a  close 
place  have  two  men  to  shovel  3  cu.  ft.  of  sand  in 
the  rear  of  the  cart.  As  the  cart  passes  back  toward 
the  mixer,  a  bag  of  cement  is  thrown  on,  making 
one  complete  batch  mix,  proportions  1 :3  :6  (pave- 
ment base).  The  cart,  loaded  with  material,  is 
backed  on  to  the  hoist  pan  and  the  load  tripped  by 
the  driver. 

On  a  wide  street  of  36'  or  more,  we  use  a  port- 
able bin  and  put  both  sand  and  gravel  into  the  bin 
with  the  steam  shovel,  and  then  draw  it  from  the 
portable  bin  into  the  carts.  This  only  takes  an  in- 
stant. 

In  operating  either  way,  four  mules,  four  lead 
boys,  two  shovelers,  one  operator  for  steam  shovel, 
one  tripper  and  one  clean-up  man  take  the  place  of 
14  men  as  formerly  employed.  At  the  present  pre- 
vailing wages,  the  cost  of  our  former  way  of  operat- 


59 


ing  is  much  greater  than  with  the  present  equipment 
used. 

We  find  also  that  we  can  lay  more  yardage  per 
day  with  this  means  of  handling  our  material  than 
we  could  with  so  many  laborers.  There  is  now  no 
confusion  at  the  hoist  pan,  as  formerly,  when  three 
wheelbarrow  men  were  trying  to  get  on  the  hoisting 
pan,  while  another  wheeling  gang  were  on  the  way. 

The  carts  were  built  by  Frank  H.  Post  &  Co., 
Knoxville,  and  this  plan  of  handling  material  was 
designed  and  worked  out  by  George  J.  Oehler,  gen- 
eral superintendent  of  the  Murray  Construction  Co., 
of  Knoxville. — Fred  L.  Conner,  Murray  Constr.  Co., 
Knoxville,  Tenn.    [Sept.,  1918,  p.  92.] 

Bulk  Cement  in  Road  Work 
Bulk  cement  was  used  in  road  construction  work  in 
Ohio  by  Williams  &  Little  Co.,  contractors,  Cleveland. 
It  was  first  used  by  this  company  last  year  (1915)  in 
the  construction  of  8  miles  of  concrete  road  16'  wide, 
thick  at  the  center.  Tight  wagon  boxes  holding 
65  cu.  ft.  were  used  and  the  wagon  was  set  so  that 
the  top  of  the  box  was  level  with  the  car  floor,  an 
extra  wagon  being  employed  so  as  not  to  hold  a  team. 
In  opening  a  car  of  cement  a  coal  chute  was  used  to 
the  wagon,  hanging  the  upper  end  on  planking  across 
the  door  and  shoveling  to  it.  Then  a  platform  was 
used  from  car  to  wagon.  With  a  two- wheeled  cart 
of  special  make,  low  hung  and  with  open  end  body, 
a  man  drove  the  body  into  the  cement  and  finished 
filling  with  a  long-handled,  winged  hoe,  especially 
made.  This  was  wheeled  out  and  dumped  into  the 
wagon.  By  these  methods  a  wagon  was  loaded  in 
from  12  minutes  to  15  minutes. 

Especially  made  boxes  were  used  to  receive  the 
cement  on  the  work.  These  boxes  are  2'  6"  x  2'  x  12", 
holding  an  equivalent  of  60  sacks.  Two  men  could 
carry  these  ahead  when  light  or  chain  and  drag 

60 


behind  wagon.  A  coal  chute  was  again  used  in  load- 
ing cement  to  the  boxes  from  the  wagons.  Boxes 
were  so  placed  and  filled  as  to  carry  the  work  forward 
a  given  distance,  always  the  same.  The  mixer  is 
charged  from  wheelbarrows  built  to  hold  enough  ce-^ 
ment  for  one  batch  when  level  full. 

The  Williams  &  Little  Co.  is  equipping  to  handle 
bulk  cement  still  more  cheaply  or  more  cheaply  than 
sack  cement.  So  far  the  report  is  that  there  is  ab- 
solutely no  waste  in  its  use,  that  it  is  bought  more 
cheaply,  that  there  is  no  loss  or  care  of  sacks,  no  money 
invested  in  sacks,  no  loss  in  transit  or  on  work  in  case 
of  storm,  all  boxes  being  equipped  with  a  ridge  pole 
and  tarpaulin.  Cost  figures  on  sack  cement  and  on 
bulk  cement  used  as  described  show  a  saving  of  8  cents 
per  barrel  in  the  use  of  the  bulk  material.    [July,  1916, 

P.  35-] 

Roller  and  Belt  Road  Finish 
Specifications  for  the  finish  of  concrete  road  sur- 
faces with  roller  and  belt,  suggested  by  the  Portland 
Cement  Assn.,  in  the  Concrete  Highway  Magazine, 
are  as  follows : 

As  soon  as  possible  after  the  concrete  has  been  struck 
off,  it  shall  be  rolled  with  an  approved  metal  roller,  having 
a  smooth,  even  surface,  approximately  6'  long,  not  less 
than  8",  nor  more  than  12"  in  diameter,  and  weighing  not 
more  than  100  lbs.  On  pavements  less  than  20"  wide,  the 
roller  may  be  operated  with  a  handle,  which  shall  be  at 
least  2'  longer  than  the  width  of  the  pavement,  and  all 
rolling  shall  be  done  from  one  side  of  the  slab.  On  pave- 
ments 20'  and  more  in  width,  the  roller  shall  be  provided 
with  two  bails  to  which  ropes  shall  be  attached,  and  the 
roller  pulled  across  the  pavement.  The  roller  shall  be 
operated  at  such  an  angle  with  the  center  line  of  the 
pavement  that  it  advances  along  the  pavement  about  two 
feet  for  each  time  across.  The  roller  shall  pass  from 
one  edge  of  the  pavement  to  the  other,  care  being  taken 
not  to  run  the  roller  over  the  side  forms  so  that  earth 
or  other  foreign  material  will  adhere  to  it.  After  the 
roller  has  covered  a  given  area  in  the  manner  described, 
the  same  area  shall  be  similarly  covered  by  the  roller 


61 


for  not  less  than  three  times  at  intervals  of  15  to  40  min- 
utes, and  as  many  times  additional  as  may  be  necessary 
to  remove  excess  water. 

After  the  rolling  has  been  completed  the  pavement  shall 
be  finished  by  two  applications  of  a  belt  made  of  canvas 
or  rubber  belting-,  not  less  than  6"  wide  and  not  less  than 
2'  longer  than  the  width  of  the  pavement.  The  belt  shall 
be  applied  with  a  combined  cross-wise  and  longitudinal 
motion.  For  the  first  application  vigorous  strokes  at  least 
12"  long  shall  be  used,  and  the  longitudinal  movement  of 
the  belt  along  the  pavement  shall  be  very  slight.  The 
second  application  of  the  belt  shall  be  immediately  after 
the  water  glaze  or  sheen  disappears,  and  the  stroke  of 
the  belt  shall  be  not  more  than  4",  and  the  longitudinal 
movement  shall  be  much  greater  than  for  the  first  belting. 

[May,  19 18,  p.  186.] 

Filling  Cracks  in  Floors 
Too  much  trowelling  will  usually  cause  hair 
cracks  and  in  the  case  of  floors,  dusting.  Fine  cracks 
in  the  cement  can  be  filled  by  wetting  the  concrete 
and  dusting  on  dry  cement.  Water  will  draw  the 
cement  into  the  cracks.  This  is  a  better  method 
than  pouring  a  paste  of  cement  and  water  into  the 
cracks.    [Jan.,  1917,  p.  8.] 

Patching  Concrete  Floors  Quickly 
One  of  the  principal  objections  often  raised  against 
the  use  of  concrete  finished  floors  is  the  difficulty  and 
cost  of  successfully  repairing  places  that  have  become 
worn  or  damaged.  For  best  results  it  is  usually  con- 
sidered necessary  to  cut  down  the  worn  place  at  least 
V/z"  into  the  unbroken  concrete,  undercut  the  edges, 
clean  out  the  dust  and  loose  particles  thoroughly,  wash 
with  a  thin  cement  grout,  fill  in  with  a  paste  grout 
and  finally  float  to  a  level  surface  a  mortar  of  cement 
and  crushed  stone  or  gravel.  The  patch  must  then 
be  kept  moist  for  at  least  1  week  or  10  days,  keeping 
all  traffic  off  in  the  meantime. 

W.  P.  Anderson,  President,  Ferro-Concrete  Const. 
Co.,  Cincinnati,  states  that  his  company  often  uses 


62 


a  method  of  patching  concrete  floors  which  is  much 
cheaper  and  requires  far  less  time  than  the  method 
commonly  used.  This  method  requires  the  use  of  a 
mastic  material  made  from  a  mixture  of  asbestos  fiber 
and  rubber  gum.  This  mixture  is  applied  with  a 
trowel  after  thoroughly  cleaning  the  damaged  surface. 
Very  little  cutting  of  the  old  concrete  is  necessary, 
other  than  to  break  off  loose  particles.  The  gum  can 
be  worked  to  a  feather-edge  so  that  it  will  readily 
join  with  the  undamaged  concrete  surface  and  elim- 
inate the  undercutting  required  with  the  old  style  of 
patch. 

A  patch  of  this  sort  can  be  opened  to  foot  traffic 
wTithin  a  few  hours  and  to  heavy  traffic  within  a  day 
or  so.  It  is  thus  possible  to  repair  a  much  used  por- 
tion of  a  mill  or  factory  floor  almost  overnight.  The 
cost  varies  with  the  size  of  the  patch,  but  will  amount 
to  from  16  cents  to  18  cents  per  square  foot.  [Sept., 
1916,  p.  96.] 

New  Top  Finish  on  a  Poor  Floor 

A  large  new  store  was  finished  last  fall,  6  stories, 
2  basements,  200'  x  200'  or  so.  Floor  topping  poured 
on  like  soup,  no  windows  in,  rapid  drying  out,  no 
signs  of  markings  or  expansion  joints,  nothing  at  all. 
Result,  topping  cracked  like  mud  put  on  a  brick  wall, 
not  a  space  that  a  hat  covers  was  whole.  Besides,  so 
rotten  that  the  janitors  swept  the  sand  out  of  the 
floors.  Being  so  rotten,  the  little  cracks  broke  out  and 
in  places  fully  *4"  of  the  finish  was  gone.  It  was 
rough,  never  saw  anything  like  it.  This  is  what  I  did. 
Took  a  very  light  rubbing  machine  and  even  that  little 
thing  would  have  buried  itself  on  soft  spots.  I  was 
obliged  to  rub  dry  because,  wet,  the  carborundum 
stones  cut  faster  and  tore  everything  to  pieces.  When 
rubbed  just  superficially,  as  it  was  impossible  to  rub 
smooth,  I  took  the  vacuum  hose.  This  cleaned  out 
all  the  cracks  and  left  the  whole  thing  rougher  than 

63 


ever.  Then  I  hardened  it  with  Lapidolith.  The  next 
day  went  over  with  wire  brush  to  remove  all  loose 
particles,  vacuum  cleaned,  then  soaked  for  hours  with 
water  and  flooded  with  neat  cement  grout.  The  vac- 
uum had  cleaned  every  pin  hole  and  crack  so  well  that 
they  ran  full  of  cement.  The  next  night  another  dose 
of  Lapidolith,  next  night  same  story.  Wetted  them 
all  night  for  several  days  and  the  old  floor  and  filling 
got  like  flint.  Then  to  remove  that  excess  of  cement 
I  put  on  the  machine  a  sand  paper  buffer  and  the  floors 
shine.  They  are  so  hard  that  steel  will  not  touch  them. 
This  scheme  is  just  like  what  is  done  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  terrazzo  tile  to  fill  the  pin  holes.  (We  worked 
at  night  and  never  interfered  with  the  store's  business.) 
When  the  grout  is  worked  in,  it  is  struck  off,  so  that 
the  excess  that  I  took  off  with  sand  paper  was  very 
thin,  a  mere  film.  The  trick  is  to  get  all  the  holes 
even  full  and  the  cement  so  that  it  will  not  shrink  and 
leave  depressions  afterward.  I  fixed  part  of  one  floor 
about  7,000  sq.  ft.  All  the  rest  of  the  floors  are  car- 
peted but  I  suppose  that  all  through  the  building  it  is 
the  same  story.  This  naturally  works  only  where  the 
topping  sticks  to  the  base. — Robert  B.  Lammens,  Los 
Angeles,  Cal.    [May,  1918,  p.  156.] 


64 


For  Concrete  Products  Manufacturers 

Mixer  Loader  Saves  Time  in  Products  Plant 

We  have  a  Blystone  mixer,  which  is  fed  from  the 
sand  bin  in  the  rear.  Shoveling  the  sand  direct  into  the 
mixer  and  then  watching  it  mix  was  taking  too  much 
unnecessary  time,  so  I  built  a  loader. 

I  first  raised  the  mixer  12"  above  the  floor,  so  as 
to  make  more  room  to  dump,  then  hinged  two  2  x  4's 


to  the  sill  of  the  mixer,  using  a  common  screw  and 
cap  hinge.  The  2x4  should  be  about  5^4 '  long,  or 
just  long  enough  for  the  box  to  clear  the  mixer  drum. 
The  box  is  made  of  wood  and  lined  with  sheet  iron, 
and  should  be  well  made  and  securely  braced.  It 
should  be  just  the  size  to  hold  a  batch.  As  I  had  no 
clutch  and  the  machine  shops  wanted  $30  for  a  clutch 
and  drum,  I  made  one  by  placing  a  pulley  on  the  line 


Home  Made  Mixer  Loader 


65 


shaft.  Any  size  will  do,  and  another  pulley  and  a 
drum  on  a  counter  shaft  This  shaft  was  placed  a 
little  above  the  line  shaft  and  about  Y  in  rear  of 
mixer.  The  drum  was  made  by  bolting  two  2  x  6's 
to  the  counter  shaft  and  rounding  it  off.  Then  I  put 
a  3"  leather  belt  on  the  two  pulleys.  This  belt  should 
be  loose,  so  that  the  line  shaft  will  revolve  without 
moving  the  counter  shaft.  Now,  by  attaching  another 
pulley  to  a  movable  lever,  so  that  by  pulling  down 
on  the  level  the  pulley  tightens  the  belt — up  she  goes. 
I  use  y%"  wire  cable  and  fasten  one  end  to  the  drum 
and  pass  through  a  pulley  fastened  to  the  box  half 
way  between  the  center  and  one  end,  and  then  through 
a  pulley  located  somewhere  above  the  center  of  the 
mixer,  and  fasten  to  the  other  end  of  box.  The  accom- 
panying sketch  will  show  how  anyone  can  make  a 
loader  of  this  kind.  I  have  used  this  loader  for  three 
years  without  any  expense  except  the  renewal  of  the 
cable. — J.  W.  Gilbert,  Mgr.  Concrete  Products  Co., 
Columbus,  Ohio.    [May,  1918,  p.  155.] 

Home-made  Mixer  Loader 

I  have  my  Blystone  mixer  equipped  with  a  home- 
made loader.  This  has  increased  the  capacity  of 
the  mixer  100%  and  saves  one  man's  time.  Before 
I  attached  the  loader  I  worked  two  men  at  the 
mixer,  but  this  is  by  much  longer  mixing  than  that 
ordinarily  given  concrete  work.  Extra  mixing  takes 
the  place  of  considerable  water,  and  excess  water 
is  a  detriment  to  the  work,  decreasing  the  density 
of  the  finished  concrete.  A  small  percentage  of 
hydrated  lime  in  your  mixture  would  probably  be 
of  considerable  assistance  in  getting  a  smooth  flow- 
ing consistency,  and  one  which  will  settle  into  place 
without  air  bubbles. — E.  E.  Elkins,  Arcadia,  Fla. 
[Mar.,  1918,  p.  /oo.] 


66 


Cutting  Molds  Direct  from  Plaster 
In  getting  out  plaster  molds  for  two  consols  a  New 
England  stone  manufacturer  reversed  the  usual  order 
of  procedure  and  saved  considerable  on  the  job. 

Instead  of  modeling  the  work  in  clay  and  making 
plaster  molds,  he  hired  two  wood  carvers  who  cut  the 
molds  direct  in  plaster,  working  out  the  design  in 
intaglio  rather  than  relief.  One  entire  operation  was 
thus  eliminated  and  for  $50,  work  was  done  that  by 
the  methods  usually  employed  would  have  cost  three 
times  that  amount. 

It  occasionally  happens  that  the  services  of  wood 
carvers  can  be  had  when  modelers  are  not  available. 
A  large  products  factory  in  the  middle  west  used  a 
former  wood  carver  to  produce  plaster  models  instead 
of  clay  models.  Instead  of  the  modeler's  method  of 
building  up  his  design,  clay  on  clay,  the  carver  first 
casts  a  block  of  plaster,  marks  out  his  design  in  the 
rough  and  produces  his  result  like  the  stone  carver 
by  cutting  away.    [June,  1918,  p.  207. \ 

Consistency  for  Plaster  Molds 
Concrete  of  a  wetter  consistency  can  be  used  safely 
in  sand  molds  in  which  much  of  the  excess  water  is 
taken  up,  than  in  more  nearly  impervious  molds  such 
as  plaster,  which  have  been  well  finished  with  shellac. 

Manufacturers  of  concrete  in  sand  molds  use  plaster 
molds  for  such  pieces  as  can  be  more  economically 
made  in  plaster,  but  changing  the  mix  in  order  to  make 
a  few  plaster  mold  casts  causes  delay  and  inconvenience 
not  always  justified.  One  manufacturer  of  concrete 
stone  finds  it  more  satisfactory  to  pour  his  plaster 
molds  from  the  same  batches  used  in  the  sand  molds 
and  afterwards  fill  the  pin  holes  in  the  plaster  mold 
casts.  The  necessary  fluid  quality  of  the  mix  can  be 
obtained  with  less  water  by  long  mixing  and  results 
in  a  minimum  of  separation  of  materials.  [June,  iqi8, 
p.  217.} 


$7 


A  Bag  Cleaner  Saves  Cement 


Wherever  bagged  cement  is  used  in  quantity  it 
is  well  to  consider  the  installation  of  bag  cleaning 
equipment. 

The  records  of  the  Omaha  Concrete  Stone  Co. 
show  that  about  a  half  pound  of  cement  can  be 
recovered  from  each  sack  cleaned.  On  the  basis 
of  present  cement  prices,  the  direct  saving  from 
1,000  sacks  is  approximately  $3.00.  To  this  is  added 
the  freight  that  would  be  paid  on  the  recovered 
cement  when  returning  the  bags. 


A  Cement  Sack  Cleaner  Used  by  the  Omaha  Concrete 

Stone  Co. 

Indirectly  the  cleaner  greatly  reduces  the  disa- 
greeable feature  of  shaking  and  bundling  bags  since 
they  are  free  from  dust. 

The  cleaner  consists  of  an  eight  sided  drum 
mounted  on  a  shaft  and  enclosed  in  a  tight  casing. 
The  drum  is  3'  6"  wide  and  4'  9"  in  diameter,  cleans 
-50  sacks  at  a  time  and  runs  12  r.  p.  m. 

The  construction  is  indicated  by  the  accompany- 
ing illustration  and  can  of  course  be  varied  to  fit 
the  maker's  ideas  and  material  most  readily  at 
hand.  Bulk  cement,  however,  gets  rid  of  the  sacks 
altogether.    [May,  ipi8,  p.  155.] 

68 


Plaster  Mold  Pieces  in  Sand  Molds 

It  frequently  happens  that  concrete  stone  casts 
which  can  be  readily  made  in  sand  molds,  except  for 
some  small  undercut  detail,  can  still  be  handled  in  sand 
by  first  making  a  glue  mold  of  just  that  one  detail. 
From  the  glue  mold  a  glue  model  is  made  and  from 
the  glue  model  a  sufficient  number  of  plaster  molds 
to  take  care  of  each  duplication  of  the  pattern.  The 
plaster  mold  is  assembled  with  the  pattern  in  the  sand, 
the  pattern  removed  and  the  plaster  detail  mold  left 
in  place.  When  the  hardened  concrete  cast  is  taken 
out  of  the  sand  the  plaster  is  chipped  away  from  the 
undercut  detail. 

This  method  would  usually  be  adopted  only  when 
a  number  of  like  units  were  to  be  made.  Should  an 
intricate  detail  be  a  feature  of  a  pattern  to  be  repro- 
duced once  or  twice  only,  it  would  probably  be  more 
economical  merely  to  rough  out  the  detail  on  the  pat- 
tern and  let  the  undercut  be  put  in  by  the  stone  cutters, 
when  the  work  is  finished.  It  is  in  minimizing  the 
stone  cutting  that  the  high  class  concrete  stone  is  made 
to  undersell  natural  stone,  so  when  units  are  several 
times  duplicated  it  is  better  to  go  to  some  pains  with 
the  pattern  to  save  on  the  final  cutting.  [June,  1918, 
p.  210.] 

Sulphur  Molds 

In  searching  for  a  material  to  make  molds  for 
ornamental  concrete  work  in  the  Engineering  De- 
partment, University  of  Nevada,  the  idea  occurred 
to  someone  to  use  sulphur,  which  is  readily  obtain- 
able in  large  quantities  and  at  small  expense  to  the 
University  of  Nevada.  The  sulphur  molds  give  an 
exceptionally  smooth  surface  and  in  general  the  re- 
sults are  much  better  than  obtainable  with  plaster 
molds.  The  sulphur  contracts  slightly  in  cooling. 
[Feb.,  1917,  p.  70.] 


69 


Prepare  Their  Own  Facing  Aggregates 

The  Maul  Co.,  manufacturers  of  concrete  stone, 
Detroit,  prepares  a  large  percentage  <  f  its  own  fac- 
ing materials,  using  a  small  Wheeling  crusher  and  a 
Universal  pulverizer,  each  with  a  capacity  of  4  tons 
per  day.  The  company  buys  Vermont  granite  at 
less  than  $4.00  a  ton  in  small  spalls,  most  of  them 
of  a  size  which  can  be  fed  direct  to  the  crusher, 
where  the  first  reduction  is  made.  The  material 
then  goes  to  the  pulverizer,  to  get  a  finer  material 
suitable  for  facing  mixtures.  The  company's  object 
in  preparing  its  own  facing  materials  is  not  so  much 
to  get  a  cheaper  product  as  to  get  a  product  with  in- 
dividuality, since  the  same  kind  of  stone  is  not  used  by 
other  concrete  stone  manufacturers. 

There  is  a  thought  here  for  concrete  ctone  manu- 
facturers which  is  particularly  worth  while,  and 
which  a  good  many  might  well  take  advantage  of, 
even  more  conveniently  than  the  Maul  company,  as 
local  materials  of  some  kind  or  other  suitable  for 
facing  are  frequently  available.  It  is  just  a  question 
of  preparing  them  for  use.    [Mar.,  1918,  p.  89.] 

A  Faced  Product  in  Sand  Molds 

A  special  sand  cast  stone  product  for  which  one 
manufacturer  has  considerable  call  is  made  by  lining 
the  sand  mold  in  a  thin  layer  next  to  the  pattern  with 
a  white  crystaline  rock  sand,  of  coarse  texture.  A 
certain  amount  of  the  pattern  sand  always  clings  to  a 
stone  cast  in  sand  anyway  and  in  the  special  product 
referred  to,  this  fact  is  taken  advantage  of  to  produce 
a  stone  with  an  outer  coating  that  appears  not  unlike 
loaf  sugar.  Such  stone  is  only  lightly  rubbed  down 
in  finishing.  This  practically  amounts  to  a  faced  prod- 
uct, which  is  unusual  in  sand  cast  work.  [May,  ipi8, 
p.  i(5p.] 


70 


Time-Saver  for  Block  Manufacturer's 
Draftsman 

We  make  a  working  drawing  of  the  different  ele- 
vations of  every  job,  which  means  a  lot  of  time  (and 
patience)  if  you  have  to  use  a  compass  to  space  the 
horizontal  joints  and  more  time  and  a  lot  more  pa- 
tience if  you  have  to  mark  in  all  the  end  joints  indi- 
vidually. Instead  of  using  a  compass  to  space  off  the 
heights  of  the  courses  and  the  lengths  of  the  blocks, 
I  procured  a  piece  of  20  gauge  iron  and  bent  it  into 
the  shape  of  an  angle  iron  24"  x  £4"  and  about  8" 
long.  On  one  side  of  this  I  formed  teeth  with  a 
round  file,  so  that  the  points  were  the  exact  distance 
apart  that  the  courses  of  blocks  should  show  on  the 
plan.  Of  course,  this  should  allow  for  mortar  joint 
as  well,  which  in  our  case  represented  8^"  in  all. 
On  the  other  edge  of  this  angle  I  made  the  points  to 
correspond  to  one-half  the  length  of  a  block  laid  in 
the  wall.  When  I  had  the  teeth  carefully  made  I  side- 
dressed  the  points  so  that  when  they  were  pressed  on 


the  paper  they  left  a  mark  like  an  awl  point  rather 
than  a  chisel.  To  use  this  spacer  simply  place  the 
points  of  the  teeth  on  the  drawing  paper,  either  along 
the  horizontal  or  vertical  line,  as  the  cases  may  be, 
and  press  the  points  into  the  paper,  which  leaves  a 
row  of  dots  in  the  proper  places  for  the  base  lines 


Time  Saving  Tools  for  a  Draftsman 


71 


or  the  end  joints.  If  the  tool  is  carefully  made,  a 
person  can  scale  the  wall  openings  from  the  drawings 
as  accurately  as  to  figure  them. 

The  other  tool  is  for  marking  in  the  end  joints 
after  the  horizontal  lines  are  all  drawn.  It  is  made 
out  of  a  piece  of  extra  heavy  drawing  paper  about 
1*4"  wider  than  the  blade  of  the  tee  square,  and  12" 
or  13"  long.  It  has  a  slot  in  each  end  about 
wide  for  the  square  to  slip  through,  and  along  one 
edge  there  is  a  row  of  notches,  each  one  the  width 
that  the  horizontal  joints  are  apart  on  the  drawing. 
When  this  is  slipped  on  the  tee  square  the  notches 
should  show  partly  by  the  edge.  To  use  this,  use  the 
tee  square  from  the  bottom  of  the  drawing  board  and 
adjust  the  gauge  to  suit  the  horizontal  lines  and  draw 
the  pencil  along  the  square  as  if  the  gauge  was  not 
there.  The  result  will  be  that  there  will  be  a  row  of 
dashes  representing  the  end  joints  of  every  other 
course  of  blocks.  When  the  elevation  is  gone  over 
once,  shift  the  gauge  on  the  tee  square  the  width  of 
one  space  and  go  over  it  again  to  get  the  end  joints  of 
the  other  courses.  By  using  these  tools  we  find  that 
after  a  little  practice  we  can  save  50%  of  the  time 
originally  used  in  this  work. 

We  use  a  }i"  scale  on  our  elevations,  as  a  is 
a  little  too  fine  and  is  harder  to  follow  on  the  job, 
while  y2"  is  too  bulky. — Harry  Boyd,  Mgr.  Boyd 
Bros.,  Osgood,  Ont.    [June,  1918,  p.  208.] 

Removing  Lumps  from  Casting  Sand 

The  casting  sand  used  in  sand  molds  in  concrete 
stone  manufacture  becomes  useless  through  the  ac- 
cumulation of  little  lumps  of  concrete,  splinters  and 
debris  generally.  A  revolving  screen,  power  driven, 
that  may  be  moved  throughout  the  length  of  the  shop, 
is  used  to  good  advantage  to  put  the  casting  sand  back 
into  condition  for  use.    [June,  ip  18,  p.  207.] 


73 


Lightening  a  Lawn  Roller 

We  are  now  making  up  our  stock  of  concrete  lawn 
rollers  for  spring  delivery.  The  accompanying  illus- 
tration shows  a  kink  we  use  in  making  them  light  in 
weight  and  yet  have  a  large  diameter,  which  makes 
the  roller  easy  to  handle. 


CB035  JVfCT/OM  7/YPOU6SJ 

How  the  Roller  is  Made 
The  roller  shown  is  24"  in  diameter  and  18"  wide, 
and  weighs  about  300  lbs.    From  the  local  garages 
we  get  empty  grease  and  oil  cans  which  usually  go 

73 


to  the  dump.  A  5-gal.  Polarine  can  is  just  the  thing 
for  this  size  roller.  This  answers  as  a  core  and  light- 
ens the  roller  and  saves  concrete. — Carl  W.  Baum- 
gardner,  Baumgardner  Concrete  Products  Co.,  Tiffin. 
Ohio.    [June,  1918,  p.  208.] 

A  Container  for  Mixed  Concrete 
A  concrete  stone  manufacturer,  pressed  in  extra 
busy  times  because  of  lack  of  capacity  in  his  agitator 
or  auxiliary  mixer,  from  which  the  concrete  is  de- 
posited in  sand  molds,  uses  a  hopper-shaped  receptacle 
of  sheet  metal  with  spout  and  spigot,  in  which  a  big 
batch  can  be  quickly  deposited  and  later  drawn  off  in 
pails,  agitated  with  a  paddle  and  deposited  by  hand  for 
small  casts.    [June,  19 18,  p.  207.] 

A  New  Idea  in  Corn  Cribs 
Corn  cribs,  factory  made,  easily  erected,  that  afford 
ventilation  and  exclude  vermin,  are  being  built  of  con- 
crete. 

One  such  corn  crib  is  owned  by  A.  W.  Stewart, 
Lacey,  Iowa,  and  was  built  by  the  Caldwell  Silo  Co., 
which  has  applied  for  patents  on  some  of  the  construc- 
tion details. 

The  units  are  modified  silo  staves,  10"  x  30"  x  2yt> ". 
Each  stave  has  two  4}4"  x  9"  openings,  guarded  by 
four  bars,  to  exclude  vermin.  The  crib  sets  on 
a  concrete  foundation,'  through  which,  just  above  the 
ground  line,  are  8"  concrete  drain  tile  with  screened 
openings  to  the  outside.  These  tile  connect  with  the 
openings  in  a  layer  of  concrete  blocks  laid  on  their  side. 
Over  these  blocks  is  a  layer  of  smooth  troweled  con- 
crete. At  the  center  of  the  crib  is  a  chimney  con- 
nected with  the  ducts  in  the  floor.  The  chimney  shell 
is  built  of  blocks,  some  of  which  are  laid  on  their 
side  so  as  to  ventilate  the  entire  body  of  corn  thor- 
oughly. This  crib  successfully  carried  2,000  bu.  of 
corn  last  winter.    [June,  19 18,  p.  222.\ 


74 


Concrete  Stone  Patches 


Patching  and  piecing*  concrete  stone  successfully 
provide  a  way  out  of  difficulties  when  breakage  oc- 
curs, and  at  once  suggest  a  means  for  economy — in 
special  cases  and  not  as  general  practice — in  making 
intricate  pieces  of  cast  stone  in  separate  parts  which 
are  subsequently  joined. 

An  Eastern  concrete  stone  manufacturer  casting 
in  sand  molds,  has  found  patches  very  successful. 
Supposing  a  piece  is  broken  away  from  a  cast  whose 
recasting  would  mean  considerable  loss,  all  that  is 
necessary  is  a  mixture  of  materials  identical  with 
that  used  in  the  original  cast.  The  broken  surface 
is  cleaned  thoroughly,  all  loose  particles  brushed  out 
and  the  break  well  wetted.  To  the  dry  mix  water  is 
then  added  to  obtain  a  plastic  consistency.  The 
patch  is  applied  and  roughly  modeled  to  shape,  great 
care  being  taken  to  keep  it  wet  by  applying  wet 
cloths,  until  thoroughly  hard.  The  stone  men  who 
finish  the  work  then  tool  the  patch  to  proper  shape. 
If  this  work  is  well  done  there  is  no  breakage,  the 
patch  apparently  being  as  strong  as  any  part  of  the 
stone. 

Following  this  idea  of  successful  patches,  the  man- 
ufacturer referred  to  had  some  intricate  gothic  finials 
to  cast.  The  pattern  and  mold  problem  could  be 
greatly  simplified  if  the  stones  were  made  in  two 
pieces,  with  one  flat  side  each — the  two  pieces,  to 
be  joined  on  the  flat  sides,  forming  a  center  plane 
of  the  finished  stone.  The  pieces  were  made  in 
halves  and  slightly  hollowed  in  the  center,  a  hollow 
on  each  flat  side  as  big  as  one's  fist,  the  stone  having 
a  cross  section  of  about  12".  Into  one  hollow  an  iron 
hook  was  set,  the  ends  embedded  in  the  concrete  at 
the  bottom  of  the  hollow.  When  hard  enough  to 
handle  the  surfaces  to  be  joined  were  cleaned,  wet- 
ted, grouted  with  a  tinted  mix  like  the  stone;  the 


75 


hollows  filled  with  a  like  mix  and  the  joint  made, 
the  hook  embedded  on  one  side  reaching  into  the 
opposite  hollow  and  reinforcing  the  joint.  The  knife 
edge  of  the  joint  was  tooled,  and  "nobody  could  tell 
the  difference."  Another  manufacturer  turned  out 
some  elaborately  modeled  balustrade  sections  in  the 
same  way. 

Patches  are  apt  to  be  unsuccessful  unless  the  sur- 
face so  patched  has  subsequent  treatment  of  a  vig- 
orous sort.  In  making  a  piece  of  concrete  pottery, 
the  writer  had  to  patch  the  legs  of  a  small  urn.  Tile 
for  inlays  had  been  glued  into  the  mold.  On  releas- 
ing the  urn  from  the  mold,  the  concrete  below  the 
tile  inlays  on  the  three  legs  was  soft — probably  due 
to  excess  glue,  which  the  plastic  concrete  had  ab- 
sorbed. The  legs  were  cut  away  where  they  were 
soft,  the  remaining  hard  surface  brushed  out  and 
soaked  with  water  and  patches  modeled  in  place, 
the  urn  (24  hours  old),  standing  on  a  small  metal 
pallet.  The  mix  was  one  part  white  cement  (10% 
hydrated  lime  added)  and  1  part  each  of  fine  white 
marble  and  bufif  stone,  with  5%  of  yellow  ochre. 
Some  of  the  dry  mixture  had  been  saved  before 
water  was  added  for  the  original  cast,  and  this  was 
used  for  patches  and  for  filling  small  imperfections. 
When  hard,  the  surface  was  vigorously  rubbed  with 
fine  carborundum  and  given  an  acid  bath  further  to 
expose  the  aggregate.  The  patches  cannot  be  de- 
tected from  the  original  cast  in  the  finished  job. 
—Editor.    [April,  1918,  p.  132.] 

Reinforced  Concrete  "Bankers" 
Rigidity  of  bankers  is  an  advantage  and  reinforced 
concrete  was  used  at  the  factory  of  the  Hydro-Stone 
Products  Co.,  Chicago.  In  rebuilding  an  improve- 
ment is  suggested  by  J.  K.  Hafridge,  who  would  have 
an  iron  rail  or  plate  in  the  top  to  facilitate  sliding  the 
pallets.    [June,  1918,  p.  207. \ 


76 


Plaster  Mold  of  Baluster 


The  baluster  mold  shown  in  the  sketch  is  a  good, 
rugged  mold  to  use  where  the  character  of  the  work  is 
such  that  the  ordinary  standard  iron  mold  will  not  do. 
The  wood  backs  are  made  to  form  a  box,  the  inside 
measurements  of  which  are  the  same  as  the  square 
section  of  the  baluster.  These  are  properly  doweled. 
Dowels  are  the  best  device  to  use  to  insure  the  parts 
of  the  mold  membering  up  true.  From  a  full  size 
detail  the  plaster  shop  makes  a  model  out  of  plaster 
by  turning  with  a  sheet  metal  template.  The  mold  is 
cast  in  plaster  around  this  model  in  the  following 
manner. 


Plaster  Mold  of  Baluster 


One  side  board  is  placed  flat  upon  the  bench  jmd  the 
baluster  model  is  placed  upon  it  in  the  correct  position. 
Enough  plaster  is  then  worked  under  and  around  it  to 
form  about  one-fourth  of  the  mold.  When  this  plaster 
has  set,  remove  model,  scrape  the  sides  smooth  and 
grease  (with  mixture  of  steric  acid  and  kerosene)  to 
form  a  parting  as  the  next  quarter  section  is  cast  up 
to  it.  Replace  side  board  and  model  in  original  posi- 
tion and  put  the  two  end  boards  on  edge  in  place.  Cast 
about  one-quarter  of  the  mold  on  each  of  them  and 
finish  as  before  and  reassemble.  Make  a  1"  hole 
through  the  second  side  board  or  last  quarter  of  the 


77 


box,  place  it  in  position  on  model  and  mold,  and 
through  the  hole  pour  liquid  plaster  to  form  the  last 
quarter  of  the  plaster  mold.  This  section  will  be  form- 
ed entirely  by  the  model  and  adjacent  end  boards. 

Take  the  mold  apart,  paint  it,  and  give  the  working 
surface  two  coats  of  thin  shellac. 

To  insure  the  plaster  sticking  to  the  wood,  drive 
nails  into  it,  letting  the  heads  stick  out.  At  any  point 
where  the  plaster  would  work  thin,  the  wood  should 
be  chiseled  out. 

When  used  this  mold  should  be  rammed  from  each 
end.  Use  a  wood  tamp  and  do  not  hit  the  plaster. 
Take  the  mold  off  at  once  and  smooth  the  seams  with 
a  stick. 

The  plaster  man  must  use  his  judgment  and  apply 
the  method  that  best  fits  the  character  of  the  work 
to  be  done.  In  the  baluster  mold  the  first  three  sides 
would  be  made  with  semi-set,  or  stiff  plaster ;  the  last 
one  would,  however,  be  made  with  thin  plaster. 

Probably  98%  of  all  plaster  work  was  done  in 
slightly  stiff  plaster,  which  is  worked  into  position  with 
the  bare  hands,  without  the  use  of  stops  or  gates  of 
any  sort.  This  is  the  practice  of  the  expert  plaster 
man. 

Plaster  should  be  mixed  to  the  consistency  of  cream 
and  then  not  disturbed,  as  a  body,  until  dipped  out  to 
use.  To  stir  it  continually  hastens  the  setting  a  great 
deal. — Paul  H.  Beatty,  George  Rackle  &  Sons  Co., 
Cleveland.    [June,  1918,  p.  210.] 

Making  Plaster  Molds  Last  Longer 

A  stone  manufacturer  reports  that  common  salt  put 
in  plaster  has  a  tendency  to  give  a  harder,  more  resist- 
ant surface  on  molds.  Then  if  several  coats  of  shellac 
are  used  the  life  of  a  plaster  mold  is  prolonged.  [May, 
1918,  />.  169.] 


78 


Making  Mold  For  Stone  With  Undercut 
Molding 

In  the  sketch  is  presented  the  solution  of  a  problem 
of  undercutting  a  form  of  molding  usually  encountered 
in  Gothic  work.  To  make  it  possible  to  cast  this  type, 
moldings  cannot  be  split  at  their  natural  intersections, 
but  must  be  split  at  some  point  (A)  in  the  molding. 
By  pulling  No.  1  first,  we  get  enough  clearance  so  that 
No.  4  may  be  pulled  in  the  direction  shown  without 
breaking  the  nose  off  the  fresh  stone. 


Making  Mold  for  Stone  with  Undercut  Molding 
This  stone,  as  well  as  all  stones  of  this  type,  up  to 
3'  in  depth,  should  be  cast  nose  down.  This  method 
saves  banker  space,  and  all  of  the  faced  surfaces  are 
formed  by  the  mold,  eliminating  the  necessity  of  hand 
work  with  a  trowel,  which  is  costly  and  always  causes 
checking. 

If  the  stone  is  too  deep  to  cast  in  this  way,  cast  it 
as  it  will  be  laid  in  the  wall  and  trowel  the  wash  on. 
Then  cover  the  faced  portion  with  white  sand  before 
putting  the  bed  sand  on  to  turn  over. — Paul  H.  Beatty, 
George  Rackle  &  Sons  Co.,  Cleveland.  [June,  ipi8, 
p.  209.\ 


79 


Advertising  Concrete  Block  on  the  Job 
Lee  Mills  who  makes  concrete  block  of  the  double 
Anchor  type  in  Muskegon,  Mich.,  advertises  his  pro- 

,  ft  ^  ■  L^  ^  .ft. 

|  Look  at  the 

!  Air  Space  j 

\         a      Mm  ■  in      a  \ 

|  FROST  S  MOISTURE"  j 
PROOF  STONE 

!  a 

Mills  Cement  Products  Co. 

Foot  of  Hal!  St  ' 

L= —  — 

Sign  Used  to  Advertise  Block  On  the  Job 

duct  on  the  job  with  signs  like  that  in  the  sketch. 
[Apr.,  1917,  p.  149.] 

Two  Kinks  for  Products  Makers 

In  making  a  plaster  mold  I  ran  short  of  plaster  of 
paris.  Not  being  able  to  get  it  on  time  I  substituted 
Portland  cement,  using  half  of  each,  and  was  surprised 
at  the  strong,  clean  mold  I  obtained.  I  oiled  it  well 
with  cylinder  oil,  filled  it  with  a  running  mixture  of 
sand  and  cement,  let  it  stand  for  36  hrs.,  and  it  came 
out  nice  and  clean  and  the  mold  just  as  good  as  ever. 

In  making  burial  vaults  I  always  had  trouble  in 
getting  the  wire  netting  straight  and  keeping  it  that 
way  until  the  mold  was  filled.  By  using  two  or  three 
pieces  of  twisted  steel  rods,  according  to  width, 
and  wiring  to  netting  (am  using  all  No.  9  farm  fenc- 
ing) I  can  keep  it  straight,  at  the  same  time  add  to 
the  strength. — Nicholas  Melcher.    [July,  1917,  p.  27.] 


80 


Concrete  Water  Meter  Boxes 

When  it  was  decided  to  install  water  meters  in  his 
town,  William  Acheson,  Superior,  Neb.,  knew  there 
would  have  to  be  a  place  provided  in  which  to  set 
them. 

He  designed  a  cylindrical  concrete  shell  provided 
with  attachments  for  covers  and  secured  the  approval 
of  the  designs  by  the  local  authorities. 

He  then  made  up  a  stock  of  boxes  and  waited  for 
the  demand.  It  came  and  several  hundred  boxes  were 
sold  and  installed  at  a  neat  profit.   [June,  ipi8,  p.  206. \ 

Finishing  Stone — Tools  Used 

That  the  manufacture  of  a  high  quality  concrete 
stone  in  the  finishes  to  which  many  architects,  par- 
ticularly in  the  East,  have  been  educated,  is  essen- 
tially a  stone  man's  job,  is  clearly  pointed  out  by  one 
cf  the  successful  manufacturers. 

Instead  of  quarrying  the  stone  in  usable  units,  the 
concrete  man  takes  what,  from  the  natural  stone 
man's  standpoint,  is  quarry  waste.  He  crushes  it, 
grades  it,  and  produces  as  the  first  step  a  high  qual- 
ity concrete  in  convenient  units.  At  that  stage  in 
his  operations  he  has  progressed  only  a  little  farther 
than  the  natural  stone  man  who  has  done  the  pre- 
liminary sawing  of  the  quarried  stone.  From  there 
on  the  concrete  stone  manufacturer's  work  is  the 
stone  man's  work.  His  tools  and  his  methods  are 
almost  identical.  An  inventory  of  the  finishing 
methods  in  a  concrete  stone  plant  reveals  that  he 
may  use  saws,  planers,  rubbing  machinery,  pneu- 
matic or  electric  cutting  tools,  rasps,  scrapers,  sand- 
paper, picks — all  these  and  more — in  getting  the 
finished  outline  and  the  desired  surface. 

To  do  this,  however,  he  has  in  his  favor  certain 
economies  open  to  his  use  which  the  natural  stone 
man  is  denied.   In  casting  his  concrete  units  he  can 


81 


eliminate  a  great  deal  of  waste,  a  great  deal  of  cut- 
ting and  tooling  by  casting  to  a  close  approximation 
of  the  finished  piece. 

It  is  interesting  that  in  a  factory  employing  150 
men  making  concrete  stone,  most  of  it  is  in  sand  molds, 
but  many  special  pieces  in  plaster  and  glue,  there 
were  30  men  in  the  special  mold  and  pattern  shop 
and  35  men  engaged  in  the  final  dressing  of  the  casts. 
[Oct.,  1918,  p.  121.] 

Rough  Textured  Block  Made  in 
"Tamp"  Machine 

Since  so  much  interest  has  developed  in  rough  tex- 
tured concrete  block,  as  a  means  to  livelier  and  more 
interesting  surfaces,  it  has  frequently  been  contended 
that  such  surfaces  cannot  be  obtained  on  block  made 
in  dry  tamp  equipment.  On  the  other  hand  it  has  also 
been  contended  that  the  difficulties  are  chiefly  in  the 
imagination  of  some  block  makers  who  have  been 
wedded  to  the  slick  looking  surfaces  obtained  with 
fine  sand  facings — surfaces  which  seldom  have  the 
variety  and  attractiveness  which  coarser  facing  mate- 
rials would  give.  Block  with  rough,  interesting  sur- 
face were  made  for  the  Universal  Portland  Cement 
Co.'s  new  sack  building  at  Buffington,  Ind.,  on  two 
different  types  of  tamp  equipment — a  Hobbs  machine 
under  a  Kramer  automatic  tamper  and  in  an  Ideal 
machine  under  hand  tamps. 

The  fact  was  established  that  coarse,  lean  facings, 
with  no  sand,  can  be  handled  in  the  commonest  types 
of  equipment.  It  is  merely  a  matter  for  the  taste  and 
resourcefulness  of  individual  manufacturers  to  develop 
logically  in  selected  aggregates  for  facings — coarse, 
vigorous  surfaces.  The  particular  block  in  question 
were  neither  brushed  nor  sprayed.  The  results  are 
comparable  to  those  obtained  by  Chicago's  South  Park 
Commissioners  on  a  great  deal  of  attractive  work  cast 
in  place.    [Dec,  1917,  p.  179.] 


82 


A  Kink  in  Flower  Box  Construction 


I  have  used  the  method  herewith  shown  to  make  a 
concrete  flower  box.  Over  a  wooden  form,  a  sheet  of 
expanded  metal  was  placed,  then  a  coat  of  about  24" 


.  j>/rr/av  cms*  3?cr/aH 

Detail  of  Flower  Box  Construction 

of  concrete.  After  this  had  set,  a  stucco  coat  was 
applied  with  pleasing  results.  I  would  use  the  same 
method  again. — A.  E.  Holmes,  Sac  City,  Iowa.  [Nov., 
1918,  p.  169.] 

Handling  Cement,  Aggregate,  and  Mixed 
Concrete  in  Products  Plant 

In  the  plant  erected  at  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  by  Ham- 
ilton &  Cavanaugh,  for  the  manufacture  of  Mcln- 
tyre  structural  tile  for  the  United  States  Housing 
Corporation  the  hand  labor  connected  with  raw 
materials  has  been  reduced  to  very  near  the  mini- 
mum. Aggregate  and  cement  are  handled  in  bins 
at  ground  level.  The  cement  is  raised  in  bulk  from 
the  bin  by  a  bucket  elevator  with  4"  buckets  every 
2'  on  a  6"  wide  canvas  belt  84'  long.  The  sand  is 
picked  up  from  the  bin  by  8"  buckets  every  2'  on 
an  8"  belt  84'  long.  These  materials  are  conveyed 
through  housing,  and  raised  to  the  cupola  of 
the  plant,  where  they  feed  into  hoppers,  that  for 
cement  holding  approximately  one  ton  and  aggre- 
gate approximately  two  tons.  The  future  installa- 
tion of  elevators  to  convey  the  material  from  the 

83 


elevator  boot  into  the  bin  will  be  driven  by  a  10 
h.  p.  motor.  A  10  h.  p.  motor  drives  the  elevators 
which  convey  cement  and  aggregate  for  one  plant 
unit  (consisting  of  4  tile  machines)  the  automatic 
meauring  device  and  11  cu.  ft.  Blystone  mixer. 
One  man  operates  each  of  the  proportioning  and 
mixer  units.  Each  of  the  two  hoppers,  one  for  ce- 
ment and  one  for  aggregate,  has  a  false  bottom  con- 
sisting of  a  mere  frame  of  angle  irons,  which  con- 
stitutes the  measuring  device.  These  frames  are 
so  set  as  to  drag  from  the  bottom  of  the  cement 
hopper  a  quarter  as  much  cement  as  the  other  frame 
draws  of  aggregate  from  the  other  hopper.  A 
movement  of  a  clutch  in  the  hand  of  the  mixer  op- 
erator starts  the  proportioning  device,  and  he  counts 
off  so  many  strokes  to  a  batch.  This  is  fed  direct 
through  a  short  chute  into  the  top  of  the  mixer. 
Theoretically,  each  batch  of  material  is  mixed  for 
lJ/2  minutes.  The  mixed  concrete  dumps  into  a 
four-way  chute  system,  which  conveys  it  to  the 
hoppers  above  the  tile  machines.    [Jan.,  ipip,  p.  22.] 

Spigot  and  Pipe  from  Agitator 

Placing  concrete  in  sand  molds  must  be  done  care- 
fully. In  spite  of  a  very  smooth  flowing  mixture,  ob- 
tained by  careful  grading,  proportioning  and  long  mix- 
ing with  just  the  right  amount  of  water,  the  stream 
of  concrete  from  the  agitator,  or  auxiliary  mixer,  must 
not  strike  with  full  force  against  the  sand  mold. 
Straight  spouts  are  sometimes  used  and  a  shovel  or 
small  board  held  by  the  workman  to  break  the  flow 
inside  the  mold.  The  Onondaga  Litholite  Co.,  using 
an  agitator  with  a  large  spigot,  has  an  L-shaped  spout 
about  3"  in  diameter  and  with  a  flare  at  the  top,  with 
hooks  that  fasten  on  at  the  spigot.  [June,  1918,  p. 
206.] 


84 


Providing  Setting  Hooks  in  Concrete  Stone 
A  great  deal  of  trim  stone  must  have  setting  hooks 
or  loops  cast  in  place,  so  the  units  may  be  handled 
on  the  job.  The  usual  practice  is  to  make  a  "hairpin" 
of  light  rods  with  the  ends  bent  over  at  right  angles, 
these  ends  being  embedded  in  the  stone  and  the  loop 


Embedding  Loop  for  Handling  Concrete  Stone 
projecting.  The  bent  over  loops,  flattened  in  ship- 
ping, are  a  nuisance,  and  one  manufacturer  casts  a 
lump  of  plaster  over  the  loop  end,  the  loop  coming 
flush  with  the  surface  of  the  stone  and  made  accessible 
later  by  gouging  out  the  plaster.    [May,  1918,  p.  i6p.] 

Wood  Edges  on  Sand  Molds 
In  casting  in  sand  molds  the  top  edges  of  casts  are 
apt  to  be  ragged.  It  is  obvious  that  when  the  sand 
is  under  so  little  pressure  and  where  exposed  to  acci- 
dental breakage  the  top  edge  is  hard  to  keep  true.  As 
the  top  surface  of  sand  cast  stone  is  usually  troweled 
some  minutes  after  pouring,  there  is  further  difficulty 
in  keeping  the  edges  true.  Usually  the  pattern  is  so 
made  as  to  keep  exposed  surfaces  of  the  finished  stone 
down  in  the  sand  bed.  This  is  not  always  possible. 
It  is  therefore  the  practice  with  some  manufacturers 
to  send  from  the  pattern  shop  to  the  casting  room 
along  with  pattern,  casting  ticket,  and  sometimes  tem- 
plate guide  for  the  finisher,  such  wood  strips  J^"  thick 
as  are  necessary  to  embed  in  the  sand  at  top  edges 
where  an  edge  must  be  kept  true  for  a  finished  sur- 
face. Troweling  is  therefore  done  up  to  the  wood 
strip  rather  than  to  a  fragile  edge  of  sand.  [June, 
19 18,  p.  206.] 


85 


Pallets  of  Wood  and  Steel 

Wood  pallets  having  deteriorated  rapidly  and  been 
reduced  in  comparatively  short  time  to  a  soft,  punky 
consistency,  the  Delta  Brick  &  Tile  Co.,  Detroit,  de- 
signed a  pressed  steel  pallet  with  sides  of  hard  wood, 
as  shown  in  accompanying  details.  The  steel  and  the 
wood  parts  are  being  assembled  at  the  Delta  factory, 


Details  of  Wood  and  Steel  Pallets 


the  net  cost  on  the  first  lot  being  about  50  cts.  each.  A 
second  lot  will  undoubtedly  reduce  this  figure  by  20%. 
These  new  pallets  are  now  being  treated  in  a  steam 
heated  bath  of  kerosene  and  paraffin  oil.  These  pallets 
are  for  use  in  making  Eberling  Structural  Tile  on  a 
pressure  machine.    [June,  1916,  p.  2jo.\ 

Shelf  for  Cement  Bag  on  Mixer 
One  of  our  nearby  competitors  came  into  our  plant 
just  a  short  time  ago  and  he  noted  an  arrangement 
which  we  have  used  from  the  time  we  first  bought 
a  Blystone  mixer  and  which  we  thought  little  of 
until  he  called  our  attention  to  its  helpfulness  in 


86 


handling  cement,  as  we  are  compelled  to  handle  it 
in  our  small  plant.  We  have  a  one-bag  mixer. 
First  we  shovel  in  one-half  of  the  amount  of  sand 
for  a  batch,  then  add  a  bag  of  cement,  the  mixer 
working  the  meantime  by  power;  then  add  the  rest 
of  the  sand,  thus  securing  what  we  find  to  be  a 
proper  mixture. 

The  "kink"  is  this :  We  had  a  tinner  add  a  piece 
of  galvanized  iron  about  15"  wide  full  length  on  one 
side  of  the  mixer,  on  which  can  be  laid  a  bag  of  ce- 
ment, while  the  workman  unties  the  end  of  the  sack. 
The  cement  thus  falls  right  into  the  mixer,  the  shelf 
giving  it  support  while  the  wire  end  or  tie  to  the 
bag  is  being  handled.  Without  this  shelf,  as  we  call 
it,  the  workman  must  first  loosen  the  wire  from  the 
sack,  while  on  the  floor  next  to  mixer,  and  he  has 
no  rest  without  the  shelf  while  he  runs  the  sack 
back  and  forth  to  empty  contents. — St.  Peter  Tile 
Works,  St.  Peter,  Minn.    [Aug.,  1918,  p.  47.] 

Copper  Slag  for  Facing* 

A  concrete  stone  manufacturer  buys  slag  from  cop- 
per furnaces — a  lustrous  black,  jet-like  material — for 
use  as  an  aggregate  in  varying  proportions  with  other 
stone  in  making  granite  stone.  He  buys  it  in  carload 
lots  as  it  is  used  throughout  the  body  of  the  stone. 
A  similar  or  perhaps  an  identical  material  has  been 
sold  in  smaller  quantities  as  a  facing  aggregate. 

The  stone  manufacturer  offers  the  interesting  com- 
ment that  this  byproduct  of  the  copper  reducing  fur- 
naces may  be  actually  a  material  very  similar  to  that 
which  makes  the  jet-like  spots  in  certain  granites. 
Granite  being  an  igneous  rock,  was  produced  in  crys- 
tallization after  tremendous  heat  in  which  its  ingre- 
dients were  molten;  the  copper  furnace  product  is 
but  another  route  to  a  somewhat  similar  result.  [June, 
1918,  p.  207.} 


87 


Coring  Heavy  Stone  Units 

The  Maul  Co.,  concrete  stone  manufacturers,  De- 
troit, saves  concrete,  makes  lighter  units  and  does 
so  with  a  minimum  of  breakage  and  loss,  by  coring 
large  cornice  units  by  the  insertion  of  clay  building 
tile  in  the  section  which  forms  the  overhang. 

George  Rackle  &  Sons  Co.,  concrete  stone  manu- 
facturers in  the  Cleveland  territory  for  a  great  many 
years,  core  heavy  cornice  and  other  similar  units  by 
inserting  core  boxes  when  the  concrete  is  tamped, 
removing  a  box  when  the  top  of  the  box  is  reached 
with  the  concrete,  filling  the  space  with  damp  sand, 
well  tamped  into  place,  and  then  filling  the  rest  of 
the  way  with  concrete.  When  the  unit  is  hard  this 
coring  sand  is  washed  out  with  a  spray  of  water 
from  a  hose.  This  saves  the  cost  of  the  clay  tile,  as 
used  by  the  Maul  company,  but  adds  a  little  to  the 
labor  charge.  Each  company  likes  its  own  way  best, 
and  it  is  largely  a  matter  of  individual  experience  as 
to  where  the  economy  can  best  be  effected.  [May, 
1918,  p.  97.] 

Drain  Tile  Kinks 

Farmers  use  our  drain  tile  for  culverts  and  they 
give  better  satisfaction  than  glazed  sewer  pipe.  They 
use  our  tile  for  chimneys — slip  an  8"  tile  in  a  12"  and 
fill  the  opening  between  with  sand  or  concrete.  Use 
cull  tile  to  make  foundation  piers  by  filling  the  tile 
with  concrete. 

Also  use  large  tile  to  make  end  fence  posts  by  setting 
one  16"  tile  on  another;  set  in  reinforcing  rods  and 
fill  with  concrete. 

I  am  also  interested  in  a  factory  here  that  manufac- 
tures hollow  concrete  drums  with  corrugated  surface 
for  land  rollers  or  clod  crushers.  These  give  better 
service  than  steel  drum  rollers. — W.  F.  Schweiterman, 
Osgood,  Ohio.    [June,  1918,  p.  206.] 


88 


Glue  Molds  and  Waste  Molds  of  Plaster 
Speed  is  sometimes  obtained  by  a  roundabout  pro- 
cedure. In  making  some  large  and  very  ornate  urn- 
shapes  for  the  parapet  of  a  building  an  eastern  man- 
ufacturer of  concrete  stone,  most  of  whose  products 
are  cast  in  sand  molds,  obtained  speedy  delivery  by  the 
following  procedure.  The  clay  model  having  been 
approved  by  the  architects,  was  reproduced  in  glue. 
A  plaster  mold  was  first  made  over  the  clay  model, 
and  the  clay  carefully  cleaned  from  the  mold.  The 
plaster  mold  was  used  to  make  the  glue  model — the 
undercut  surface  ornamentation  pulling  out  of  the 
plaster  just  as  a  glue  mold  is  released  from  a  concrete 
cast.  From  the  glue  model  as  many  plaster  molds 
were  made  as  there  were  concrete  casts  in  the  job. 
Each  plaster  mold  was  then  filled  with  concrete  and 
when  the  casts  were  hard,  the  plaster  chipped  away  and 
the  stone  given  the  desired  surface  treatment.  This 
was  high  priced  work,  the  price  being  about  $5.00  per 
cu.  ft.  of  concrete.  By  the  methods  used  all  the  casts 
were  ready  at  approximately  the  same  time.  [May, 
1918,  p.  179.] 

Making  Glue  Molds 

The  sketch  roughly  indicates  making  a  glue  mold 
from  a  wood  or  plaster  model  of  a  finial  such  as  are 
common  to  Gothic  architecture.  The  model  of 
either  plaster  or  wood  has  the  crockets  modeled  on 
in  clay.  If  it  is  possible  to  make  the  crockets  the 
same  size,  one  is  modeled  in  clay  and  a  glue  mold 
is  made  on  it  and  the  number  of  crockets  needed 
are  cast  in  plaster  and  set  on  the  shaft.  This  saves 
modeling  in  clay,  which  is  expensive,  as  it  requires 
very  skillful  workmen. 

The  model  is  built  up,  shellacked  and  greased  and 
a  clay  blanket  about  £4"  thick  is  wrapped  around  it. 
The  shaded  portion  around  the  finial  in  the  sketch 
shows  the  glue  mold  within  half  its  supporting  shell 


89 


of  plaster,  and  it  serves  as  well  to  show  clearly  the 
position  the  clay  occupies  around  the  model  and 
the  shell  around  the  clay  before  the  glue  mold  is 
made. 

The  plaster  shell  in  this  is  cast  in  two  pieces. 
The  second  half  is  cast  with  the  first  half  in  posi- 
tion to  form  a  close  fitting  joint,  plastering  up  any 


joints  where  liquid  glue  might  run  out.  Next  re- 
move shell  and  then  remove  clay ;  after  that  the  work 
is  ready  to  replace  shell,  binding  it  tightly  together 
and  clamping  it  down;  then  pour  glue  into  the 
space  first  occupied  by  the  clay. 

Remove  the  plaster  shell  and  carefully  peel  the 
clay  blanket  off,  then  replace  the  shell  and  clamp  it 
tightly  to  the  table  and  plaster  up  the  cracks  be- 
tween shell  and  table,  out  of  which  glue  might 
run.  The  hot  glue  may  then  be  poured  into  the 
shell  through  a  funnel  into  holes  previously  left. 
(Keep  the  funnel  full  so  as  to  deliver  the  glue  under 
pressure.)  It  will  occupy  the  space  around  the 
model  which  is  left  by  the  removal  of  the  clay 


Making  a  Glue  Mold 


90 


blanket.  Allow  the  glue  to  cool,  at  which  time  it 
will  have  congealed  to  about  the  consistency  of 
rubber. 

To  gauge  the  amount  of  water  required  to  soften 
the  glue  will  require  some  experience.  A  little  ex- 
perimenting with  small  molds  and  a  liquid  density- 
gauge  or  hydrometer  will  soon  fit  any  person  to 
turn  out  glue  that  will  be  tough  and  not  too  hard. 
It  should  be  about  the  consistency  of  the  candy 
commonly  known  as  gum  drops,  which  is  nothing 
more  than  glue  or  gelatin  mixed  and  coated  with 
sugar.  Set  density  down  on  paper  in  each  of  the 
successive  trials  and  opposite  this  write  the  results. 
The  glue  must  be  cut  into  two  pieces  in  order  to 
remove  it  from  the  model  and  later  from  the  con- 
crete cast.  The  cut  starts  at  the  bottom  at  the  end 
or  nose  of  one  of  the  crockets,  and  runs  up  over 
the  top  and  down  the  other  side  directly  opposite. 
This  will  leave  one  whole  crocket  and  one  half 
crocket  on  each  side  of  it  on  each  one-half  section 
of  the  glue  mold. 

Paint  the  working  surface  of  the  glue  with  a  paint 
consisting  of  white  lead,  turpentine  and  dryer.  This 
will  dry  over  night,  and  it  is  ready  for  greasing  and 
casting. — Paul  H.  Beatty,  Cleveland.  [July,  1918,  p. 
I?] 

Loader  for  Batch  Mixer 

A  concrete  products  plant  in  Akron,  O.,  loads  its 
Blystone  mixer  from  an  overhead  hopper  that  has 
three  compartments — a  center  compartment  for 
cement,  kept  filled  by  cement  elevated  mechanically 
from  the  second  floor  level,  and  two  other  compart- 
ments, one  each  side  of  the  cement  receptacle,  con- 
taining the  fine  gravel.  All  of  this  passes  a 
screen.  A  revolving  drum  forms  a  bottom  for  the 
hopper.    This  drum  has  compartments  which  fill 


91 


automatically  by  means  of  an  agitator  within  the 
hopper,  and  bring  out  the  cement  and  aggregate  in 
the  measured  quantity  to  give  the  proportion  desired 
for  the  output  of  this  particular  plant,  which  is  prac- 
tically standard.  So  many  revolutions  of  the  drum 
supply  a  batch  of  materials.    [May  1918,  p.  97.] 

Using  Local  Stone  with  Concrete 

There  are  excellent  possibilities  for  manufacturers 
of  concrete  trim  stone  in  developing  its  use  with  nat- 
ural stone  of  rustic  character. 

In  New  England  considerable  seam-faced  granite  is 
available  in  warm  tones  that  mellow  well  with  age. 
Trap  rock  in  random  masonry  gives  some  very  pleas- 
ing results.  In  glacial  country,  particularly  on  farms 
and  in  small  towns,  there  are  walls  of  split  boulders. 
Several  stone  manufacturers  have  recently  suggested 
that  there  is  a  good  chance  to  develop  the  use  of  con- 
crete trim  with  such  local  rocks.  The  particular  local 
stone  must  be  studied  and  an  architect  of  ability  should 
adapt  the  manufactured  to  the  natural  product.  Color 
tones  and  special  aggregate  are  at  once  suggested  to 
produce  a  harmonious  result.    [June,  ip  18,  p.  20?.] 

Truck  for  Hauling  Concrete  Stone 

The  Hydro-Stone  Products  Co.,  Chicago,  uses  a 
5J4-6J^  ton  Mack  truck,  equipped  with  a  steel  frame- 
work and  traveling  2-ton  Ford  hoist,  for  quick  load- 
ing and  unloading  of  trim  stone. 

The  concrete  stone  is  piled  on  small  cars,  suitably 
protected  by  wads  of  excelsior,  and  so  stacked  as  to 
make  easy  units  to  handle  at  the  rate  of  about  ton 
at  each  lift.  Inasmuch  as  the  dimension  stone  rests 
on  two  rails  lej  gthways  of  the  small  car,  a  sling  is 
slipped  underneath  (the  sling  consisting  of  a  piece 


83 


of  heavy  belting),  with  a  means  of  getting  hold  with 
the  hook  of  the  hoist  for  lifting. 

A  short  haul  for  the  Hydro-Stone  company  is 
about  ten  miles.  Other  hauls  range  up  to  25  miles 
in  length.  The  truck  costs  $12  a  day  to  operate,  but 
this  includes  all  charges,  depreciation,  upkeep  and 
driver.  The  platform,  and  framework  for  traveling 
hoist  and  so  on,  was  put  on  for  $450.  With  this 
equipment  a  truck  can  be  loaded  in  less  than  ten 
minutes  and  unloaded  in  a  slightly  longer  time. 

This  equipment  makes  the  average  delivery  cost 
of  dimension  stone  10c  per  cu.  ft.  The  data  are  sup- 
plied by  J.  K.  Harridge,  of  the  Hydro-Stone  Pro- 
ducts Co.    [Mar.,  1918,  p.  95.] 


93 


Surfaces 


Successfully  Plastering  On  Concrete 

I  have  used  the  following  method  for  plastering 
on  concrete  and  have  yet  to  see  it  fail :  The  princi- 
ple is  as  old  as  concrete  itself.  After  the  forms  are 
taken  off  and  all  loose  scales  cleaned  away,  the  wall 
is  to  be  well  wet  down,  then  dashed  with  a  mixture 
of  1  cement  to  2  of  sand,  and  care  should  be  taken 
that  this  coat  is  not  disturbed  until  thoroughly  set. 
The  sand  should  be  clean  and  sharp  and  as  coarse 
as  possible ;  the  thicker  the  plastering  has  to  be  the 
coarser  must  be  the  sand.  The  mixture  is  to  be 
dashed  on  with  a  broom  or  paddle  the  same  as  is 
used  on  outside  slapdash  or  rough  coat  jobs.  If 
this  coat  can  stand  for  24  hours  or  more  so  much 
the  better,  but  it  must  be  set  before  next  coat  is 
applied. 

The  second,  or  floating  coat,  is  to  be  composed 
of  coarse  sand  tested  for  voids  and  just  the  right 
amount  of  cement  added  to  fill  the  voids,  plus  10% 
hydrated  lime  to  make  it  work  better,  care  being 
taken  to  avoid  an  excess  of  cement  and  to  use  as 
coarse  a  sand  as  possible.  This  coat  is  to  be  laid 
on  with  the  trowel  and  struck  off  with  the  straight 
edge  and  allowed  to  set.  If  a  float  finish  is  desired, 
a  rich  mixture  may  be  used  for  a  thin  skim  coat, 
care  being  taken  to  lay  it  on  thin,  the  richer  the 
mix  the  thinner  it  must  be  laid. 

The  dash  coat,  if  used,  is  placed  in  the  ordinary 
way,  but  whatever  finish  is  used  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  under  coat  is  thoroughly  set.  There  is 
nothing  difficult  about  plastering  with  cement  mor- 
tar if  the  principles  of  concrete  are  adhered  to.  Tests 
for  voids,  shrinkage  of  materials,  clean  materials, 
non-disturbing  after  placing  and  proper  curing,  will 


94 


invariably  bring  satisfaction  in  any  kind  of  concrete 
or  cement  work. — E.  Bewley,  Modesto,  Calif.  [Feb.. 
W7,  p.  50.] 

Suggestions  for  Impervious  Non-Crazing 
Floor  Surface 
A  good  concrete  floor  surface  of  light  color  and 
sufficiently  impervious  to  stay  looking  well  is  not 
always  obtained — much  to  the  disappointment  of  archi- 
tects and  owners.  E.  Y.  Bragger,  Representative  San- 
dusky Cement  Co.,  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  describes  a 
method  of  finishing  floors  and  other  surfaces  where 
a  fine  finish  is  wanted.  As  is  generally  known,  ex- 
cessive troweling,  in  an  effort  to  get  a  smooth,  hard 
surface,  frequently  achieves  that  result  only  temporar- 
ily and  the  smoothness  is  not  permanent.  Crazing 
frequently  results  in  a  surface  which  absorbs  dirt  and 
soon  becomes  unsightly.  Mr.  Bragger  recommends  a 
surface  course  of  1  part  Medusa  waterproofed  white 
cement  and  2  parts  of  crushed  marble,  %"  to  40-mesh 
size.  If  a  coarser  grain  is  desired  about  2  parts  of 
at  larger  size  of  marble  may  be  added.  After  being 
struck  off  these  materials  should  be  allowed  to  set 
for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  to  become  firm  before 
finishing  with  a  steel  trowel  (excessive  troweling  is 
dangerous).  After  troweling  (just  as  little  as  pos- 
sible), allow  to  set  for  3  days,  keeping  wet,  then  rub 
with  stone  or  rubbing  machine  to  remove  trowel  marks 
and  cement  film.  Scrub  with  10%  solution  muriatic 
acid  and  thoroughly  rinse  with  clean  water.  Grout 
into  the  surface  a  mixture  of  1  part  of  the  cement 
and  1  part  of  fine  marble.  Allow  to  set  for  1  week 
or  more,  keeping  the  work  damp.  Then  rub  with  stone 
or  rubbing  machine  until  desired  surface  is  obtained. 
Floors  can  be  brought  to  a  polish  by  this  method. 

This  method,  Mr.  Bragger  says,  has  been  used  suc- 
cessfully where  a  floor  was  required  that  would  not 
discolor.   This  method  has  been  used  by  the  Ossining 


95 


Pressed  Stone  Co.,  Ossining,  N.  Y.,  for  steps,  walks 
and  curbing  on  work  of  extra  quality  for  large  estates 
along  the  Hudson  river.  A  similar  method  is  used 
by  Paul  Vogt  Sons,  Everett,  Mass.,  and  Chester  Row- 
ley, Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  on  cast  stone. 

Mr.  Bragger  also  describes  a  different  method,  where 
more  speedy  finishing  is  necessary,  as  follows: 

Forms  must  be  tight  on  all  sides.  Should  thev  be  rustv  or 
dirty,  brush  with  stiff  brush,  then  stop  up  all  crevices  and 
paint  or  trowel  sides  with  plaster  of  paris.  Surface  coat  to 
be  from  l"  to  2"  thick;  base  must  be  rough  and  clean,  and 
well  wetted.  Should  the  face  be  smooth,  sift  on  a  light  layer 
of  clear  cement.  For  the  surface  coat  mix  1  part  of  Medusa 
waterproofed  white  cement  and  2  parts  crushed  marble  (J^" 
to  40-mesh  sieve),  and  after  mixing  the  two  together  thor- 
oughly, add  water  slowly  until  the  proper  consistency  is 
obtained  (not  too  wet).  Spread  evenly  as  you  would  plaster 
instead  of  throwing  on  by  the  shovelful.  This  causes  the 
larger  size  aggregates  to  remain  where  placed,  the  smaller  to 
work  away  under  the  trowel.  Trowel  firmly  but  not  too  much 
with  steel  trowel,  and  strike  off  with  a  straightedge.  Float 
easily  with  wood  float.  Cover  with  clean  canvas,  sprinkle  on 
dry  marble  or  white  sand;  allow  to  set.  It  will  be  found  this 
covering  removes  excess  moisture  and  makes  troweling  pos- 
sible in  20  min.  to  30  min.  Then  finish  with  steel  trowel. 
Trowel  only  enough  to  get  an  even  surface  (excessive  trowel- 
ing causes  the  cement  and  finer  particles  to  come  to  the  top, 
which  is  often  the  reason  for  cracks  and  crazing).  Cover 
and  allow  to  set  for  24  hrs.;  then  rub  with  fine  carborundum, 
to  remove  the  cement  film.  Careful  rubbing  is  necessary  at 
this  stage,  as  the  cement  is  still  green.  Scrub  with  a  10% 
solution  of  muriatic  acid  and  thoroughly  rinse  with  clean 
water.  Grout  into  the  surface  with  trowel  or  brush  a  thin 
coating  of  neat  cement.  Keep  damp  and  finish  with  fine 
stone  or  rubbing  machine  any  time  after  1  week,  or  when  the 
job  is  finished. 

The  latter  method  is  very  simple  but  judgment  is  necessary. 
Floors,  steps  and  so  on  can  be  laid,  struck  off  and  finished  in 
less  than  a  half  day;  watching,  worrying  and  overtime  are 
avoided.  If  a  coarser  grain  is  desired,  add  2  parts  to  3  parts 
of  larger  stone.  Water  pockets  are  overcome  and  the  cement 
is  readily  taken  up  in  the  surface  and  not  left  to  work  around 
under  the  trowel ;  hence  a  denser  work  results. 

[July,  1916,  p.  10.] 


96 


Solving  the  Crazing  Problem 

To  prevent  crazing,  adopt  every  means  to  avoid  ex- 
cessive surface  shrinkage  of  the  concrete — particularly 
in  the  early  stages  of  hardening. 

1.  Avoid  an  excess  of  fine  material — either  cement 
or  stone  dust. 

t.    Avoid  the  use  of  excess  mixing  water. 

8.  Avoid  methods  of  placing  and  finishing  which 
leave  a  film  of  fine  material  on  the  surface. 

4.  Adopt  methods  of  surface  finish  which  will  re- 
move the  surface  film  of  fine  material  and  leave  coarse 
material  exposed. 

5.  Adopt  methods  of  curing  which  will  keep  the 
surface  wet,  uninterruptedly — in  distinction  from  wet- 
ting down  surfaces  which  have  become  dry  in  the  early 
stages  of  hardening. 

6.  The  use  of  calcium  chloride  in  the  mixing  water 
is  suggested,  but  should  be  used  only  with  caution. 
[Oct.,  1917,  p.  pp.] 

Inconspicuous  Concrete  Walks 
To  get  the  pebble  effect  on  concrete  I  used  mostly 
coarse  pea-sized  gravel  and  as  little  sand  as  possible, 
without  the  customary  layer  of  fine  material.  That 
is,  I  had  one  mixture  right  to  the  very  top.  Then 
I  washed  the  surface  with  muriatic  acid,  using  a 
stiff  brush  and  washing  it  after  it  had  eaten  the  sur- 
face skin  of  the  cement,  possibly  brushing  when 
green  might  produce  the  same  effect  without  using 
acid.  But  in  my  case  I  used  acid  after  it  had  hard- 
ened. 

Another  way  would  be  to  make  an  ordinary  mix- 
ture and  then  float  selected  gravel  on  the  surface 
while  green. 

I  filled  the  edges  with  black  dirt,  so  that  the 
lawn  or  long  grass  will  encroach  on  the  sidewalk 
and  the  soil  be  a  little  higher. — Wilhelm  Miller,  De- 
troit.   [Jan.,  1917,  p.  32^ 


97 


Finishing  the  Sidewalk 

One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  in  sidewalk  work 
is  in  the  application  of  the  top  coat.  In  the  first  place 
there  must  not  be  too  much  water  in  the  mix  and  at 
the  same  time  there  must  be  just  enough  water  so 
that  the  top  will  spread  out  evenly  and  trowel  up 
quickly.  The  worst  trouble  is  to  get  the  finished  top 
troweled  up  quickly.  The  more  concrete  work  is 
troweled,  the  more  apt  we  are  to  have  trouble  from 
separation  of  the  top  coat  from  the  base  concrete.  As 
I  have  told  finishers  who  worked  for  me : 

"Almost  anyone  can  take  a  float  and  trowel  and 
finish  up  a  piece  of  concrete  work  smoothly,  but  iU 
takes  an  experienced  finisher  to  trowel  concrete  quickly 
and  get  over  a  lot  of  work."  I  leave  strict  instructions 
with  the  finishers  to  go  over  their  work  with  a  wood 
float  once  and  twice  with  a  trowel.  Then  we  take  no 
chance  of  loosening  the  top  coat  from  the  base  before 
the  top  coat  has  its  initial  set.  Anyone  familiar  with 
the  troweling  of  finished  surfaces  of  concrete  will  find 
that  when  a  surface  has  been  troweled  too  much  it  will 
work  back  and  forth,  almost  like  rubber,  which  loosens 
the  top  before  it  has  a  chance  to  set. — Frank  L.  Shoe- 
maker, Kalamazoo,  Mich.    [July,  ip  17,  p.  6.] 

Pebble  Surfaced  Sidewalk 

In  front  of  and  around  Tower  Court  at  Wellesley 
College,  Wellesley,  Mass.,  is  a  concrete  sidewalk  un- 
usually well  suited  to  its  attractive  surroundings.  The 
ordinary  cement  sidewalk  does  not  blend  at  all  well 
with  grassy  and  leafy  landscapes.  Walks  that  curve 
among  trees  and  shrubs  and  flowers  must  be  made  to 
serve  without  obtruding.  The  ordinary  walk  does  ob- 
trude. 

The  walk  at  Wellesley  is  quite  different.  It  has  a 
pebbled  surface  in  harmonious  tones.  It  was  built  un- 
der the  personal  supervision  of  C.  A.  Sawyer,  Jr., 


98 


Vice-Pres.  of  the  George  A.  Fuller  Co.,  Boston,  the 
contractors.  Mr.  Sawyer  describes  the  work  as  fol- 
lows : 

'The  walk  surface  was  produced  to  meet  these  re- 
quirements :  A  non-slip  surface ;  a  color  to  harmonize 
with  the  masonry  of  Tower  Court;  an  interesting 
though  not  pronounced  surface  texture ;  the  elimina- 
tion of  surface  jointing — irregular  shrinkage  cracks 
not  being  objectionable. 

"The  construction  consisted  of  a  base  course  of 
1 :3  :6  concrete  4"  thick,  on  which  was  screeded  off  a 
topping  of  1:3  portland  cement  mortar  iy2"  thick — 
before  the  base  course  had  received  its  initial  set. 
Water  worn  gravel  screened  through  1)4 "  mesh  and 
caught  on  Y^'  mesh  was  then  closely  spread  over  the 
walk  surface  and  forced  into  the  mortar  to  the  desired 
surface  levels  with  wood  floats  similar  to  those  used 
by  cement  finishers.  The  spreading  and  tapping  into 
place  of  the  gravel  was  done  in  the  same  way  as  work- 
ing marble  chips  into  a  mortar  surface  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  terrazzo  floor.  After  the  cement  in  the 
top  had  received  its  initial  set,  and  not  before,  the 
mortar  in  the  interstices  of  the  gravel  was  removed  to 
a  depth  of  3/16"  by  the  careful  use  of  scrubbing 
brushes  with  soft  bristles.  An  hour  or  so  later,  the 
pebble  surfaces  again  were  brushed,  using  a  small 
amount  of  water  on  the  brushes.  This  removed  the 
cement  film  on  the  gravel  caused  by  the  first  brushing. 
In  both  instances  the  brushes  were  cleaned  very  fre- 
quently to  give  definition  and  character  to  the  surface. 
After  the  cement  had  received  its  final  set,  the  walks 
were  kept  damp  for  several  days  to  insure  proper 
curing. 

"The  success  and  permanence  of  this  kind  of  pebbled 
surface  depends  on  the  care  with  wThich  it  is  brushed 
and  the  clean  condition  of  the  brushes.  If  the  pebbles 
are  even  slightly  dislodged  during  the  process,  the 


99 


cement  bond  is  destroyed  and  sooner  or  later  raveling 
will  result.    The  work  was  done  by  common  labor. 

"The  sidewalk  was  laid  in  the  spring  of  1915.  The 
pebbled  surface  cost  approximately  25  cts.  per  sq.  yd. 
more  than  it  would  had  the  surface  consisted  of  1:2 
cement  mortar,  troweled  twice. 

"There  is  no  doubt  in  the  writer's  mind  that  resi- 
dence walks  can  be  constructed  of  concrete  3^"  or 
4"  thick,  using  a  gravel  aggregate,  provided  the  top 
surface  is  carefully  brought  to  the  correct  profile  by 
tamping.  After  the  cement  is  brushed  from  this  sur- 
face there  is  no  reason  why  the  same  appearance  can- 
not be  obtained  as  in  the  work  at  Wellesley.  It  is, 
of  course,  wise  to  lay  these  walks  on  a  dry  gravel 
or  cinder  foundation  of  from  8"  to  12"  thick/'  [Aug., 

W7>  A  45-] 

Chicago  Park  Buildings  Faced  with 
Special  Mixture 

In  some  interesting  work  in  the  surface  texture  of 
concrete,  involving  no  treatment  of  the  concrete  after 
the  removal  of  the  forms,  two  mixtures  of  concrete 
were  used,  a  porous  facing  mixture  of  comparatively 
dry  consistency  and  a  structural  backing  of  a  wet  mix- 
ture such  as  is  ordinarily  used  in  building  work. 

This  work  is  done  for  the  South  Park  Commission- 
ers, Chicago.  It  is  not  new,  having  been  introduced 
on  the  park  building  work  of  the  commissioners  in 
conjunction  with  the  late  D.  H.  Burnham  about  10 
years  ago.  The  work  of  this  character  has  been  de- 
veloped considerably  since  that  time  and  is  now  being 
used  on  practically  all  the  new  recreation  buildings, 
of  which  those  in  Grand  Crossing  Park,  now  under 
construction  ,are  examples. 

The  surface  concrete  is  composed  of  2  parts  cement, 
S  parts  of  washed  torpedo  sand  and  9  parts  washed 
crushed  limestone  varying  in  size  from  y%"  to 
The  mixture  is  somewhat  plastic — sufficiently  so  that 
it  will  adhere  when  pressed  in  the  hand. 

100 


The  standard  thickness  of  the  walls  of  these  build- 
ings, not  considering  pilasters  and  cornice  ,is  18".  This 
is  composed  of  a  4-in.  tile  center  with  7"  of  the  dry 
mixed  concrete  on  the  outside  and  7"  of  wet  mixed 
concrete  on  the  inside.  The  interior  side  of  the  wall 
is  composed  of  regular  wet  mixed  1 :3  :6  concrete.  The 
walls  are  built  in  8-in.  layers,  the  tile  being  laid  first, 
then  the  surface  concrete  and  the  wet  mixed  concrete 
on  the  inside  of  the  wall  last.  In  placing  the  surface 
concrete  it  tamped  very  hard  for  a  width  of  about  5" 
next  to  the  tile  and  very  little  at  the  front.  By  using 
very  small  stone  of  nearly  uniform  size  and  a  dry  mix, 
tamped  in  this  manner  it  is  possible  to  crowd  the  con- 
crete forward  into  the  molded  design  of  the  forms, 
bringing  out  every  detail  of  the  design  and  presenting 
a  uniform  rough  exterior  finish.  In  mixing  the  con- 
crete for  the  surface  only  about  y$  as  large  quantity 
of  water  was  used  as  for  the  wet  mixed  interior  part 
of  the  wall. 

The  inspectors  for  the  South  Park  Commissioners 
say  that  the  artistic  results  obtained  in  placing  concrete 
in  this  manner  depend  upon  the  uniformly  small  size 
of  the  stone,  great  care  in  securing  evenly  mixed  con- 
crete of  uniform  moisture  and  the  skill  in  tamping, 
to  crowd  the  concrete  forward  into  the  molded  design 
of  the  forms.    [July,  1916,  p.  3.] 

Cleaning  Concrete  Floors 
We  clean  the  concrete  floors  in  our  house  thrice 
weekly  with  a  watery  solution  of  Sig.  Cresol  Comp. 
5%  and  apply  daily  the  following  with  a  mop: 

Kerosene  120.0  c.c. 

Good  soap  250.0  og. 

Turpentine  60  c.c. 

Boiling  water   6.0  liters 

The  floors  are  swept  clean  and  all  dirt  and  dust 
removed.  After  mopping  alternate  days  with  Sig. 
Cresol  Comp.  U.  S.  P.  and  hot  water,  the  above 
mentioned  solution  is  applied  hot,  after  emulsifying. 


101 


This  last  solution  is  used  several  times  a  day  and  well 
rubbed  in  with  a  piece  of  blanket  in  a  mop  handle  till 
the  floors  take  a  beautiful  polish.  The  formula  of  this 
compound  is  as  follows: 

Cresol  500  grams 

Linseed  oil   300  grams 

Potassium  Hydroxide    80  grams 

Alcohol   30  milliters 

Water  sufficient  to  make  up  to  1,000  grams. 
This  is  rather  a  difficult  formula  to  mix  so  do  not 
try  to  make  it  yourself.  If  you  want  a  small  quan- 
tity your  local  druggist  can  probably  furnish  it;  if 
you  want  large  quantities — from  a  gallon  up — buy 
it  from  a  wholesale  druggist  or  a  reliable  pharmaceu- 
tical manufacturer. — Dr.  F.  W.  Dudley,  Manila,  P.  I. 
[Jan.,  1918,  p.  32.] 

Preventing  Efflorescence 
The  experience  of  most  manufacturers  not  only  of 
roof  tile,  but  in  other  lines,  indicates  that  when  ef- 
florescence appears,  the  remedy  is  in  altering  the  mix- 
ture of  materials  and  in  manipulation  so  as  to  get  a 
denser  concrete.  The  appearance  of  white  spots,  or 
efflorescence,  when  the  products  dry  out,  is  due  to  the 
deposit  on  the  surface  of  soluble  salts  taken  up  by 
moisture  in  the  product.  When  this  moisture  evap- 
orates the  salts  in  solution  are  brought  to  the  surface 
and  deposited  there.  This  could  not  take  place  in  an 
extremely  dense  product  and  it  will  be  a  good  thing 
to  have  your  materials,  either  crushed  stone  or  sand, 
carefully  tested  in  order  to  learn  exactly  the  proper 
mix  to  use  to  get  a  more  dense  mixture.  Looking 
into  the  matter  of  mixture  very  carefully  will  surely 
repay  you,  even  if  it  is  necessary  to  go  to  some  small 
expense  for  tests,  because  there  will  probably  be  less 
breakage  and  the  chances  are  it  will  develop  that  you 
can  make  your  products  more  economically  by  know- 
ing exactly  how  much  cement  should  be  used  with  a 
given  mixture  of  sand  or  stone.    [Sept.,  1917,  p.  88.] 


102 


Brush-Finishing  Concrete  Surfaces 

A  finish  for  concrete  that  will  give  a  uniform  and 
very  satisfactory  surface  is  produced  with  a  whitewash 
brush  as  the  finishing  tool. 

Remove  the  forms  at  the  earliest  possible  time — 
paint  the  surface  with  a  grout  of  1  lime,  2  cement  and 
8  fine  sand,  mixed  with  water  to  a  creamy  consistency 
and  kept  thoroughly  stirred. 

Follow  the  application  of  the  mixture  with  a  thor- 
ough rubbing  of  the  surface  with  a  wood  float  to  fill 
thoroughly  all  pin  holes  and  produce  an  even  texture. 

As  the  excess  moisture  disappears  brush  the  surface 
lightly  in  both  directions  with  a  dry  brush  to  obliterate 
all  float  marks  and  produce  a  sandpaper-like  texture. 
The  surface  thus  treated  will  be  very  light  in  color 
and  the  effect  is  permanent  under  most  conditions. 
[June,  1 918,  p.  206.} 

Mosaic  in  Concrete  Surfaces 

In  the  enrichment  of  concrete  surfaces  by  means  of 
mosaic,  the  mosaic  is  formed  by  squares  of  marble  from 
%"x>4"  to  l"xl"  and  about  to  y2"  thick;  these 
have  been  sawed  and  have  a  level  surface  on  each 
flat  side.  They  may  be  split  with  a  very  short  cold 
chisel,  the  stone  resting  on  an  iron  block  or  anvil. 
The  stones  or  Tesserae,  as  they  are  called,  can  be 
laid  with  the  rough  or  split  surfaces  out  or  with  flat 
surfaces  exposed.  In  many  cases  the  depressions 
necessary  to  contain  the  tesserae  can  be  cared  for 
in  the  mold  or  form,  in  others  the  spaces  can  be  low- 
ered before  it  has  become  too  hard. 

The  stones  may  be  soaked  in  linseed  oil  for  sev- 
eral hours  to  make  their  color  brighter  and  then  set 
in  soft  mortar,  or  they  can  be  used  as  they  are  after 
wetting  them.  Sometimes  for  flat  panels  on  walls 
or  floors,  the  stones  are  glued  on  paper,  face  down, 
with  gum  arabic. 


103 


The  soft  mortar  bed  is  then  laid  and  the  design 
reversed  and  laid  in  the  wet  surface.  It  is  then 
pressed  down  and  leveled  with  a  heavy  block  and 
the  paper  soaked  off. — Charles  T.  Scott,  School  of 
Industrial  Art,  Philadelphia.    [Jan.,  1917,  p.  10.] 

White  Surfaced  Stairs  with  Rubbed  Finish 

In  constructing  a  six-story  and  basement  mill  con- 
structed building  with  fireproof  stair  towers  consist- 
ing of  reinforced  concrete  stairs  supported  on  brick 
walls,  a  departure  from  the  ordinary  method  of  finish- 
ing was  made  on  the  main  stairs,  from  the  street  to 
the  office  on  the  second  floor.  Instead  of  an  ordinary 
Portland  cement  finish  something  possessing  a  little 
more  life  and  color  was  desired  and  a  special  white 
finish  1"  thick  was  therefore  used  on  risers,  treads  and 
landings.  This  was  composed  of  1  part  of  Medusa 
white  cement,  1  part  of  the  standard  white  Ottawa 
sand  and  1  part  of  marble  chips  passing  a  mesh 
with  all  dust  removed  and  was  placed  on  the  concrete 
base  before  the  latter  had  taken  its  initial  set.  It  was 
then  given  a  smooth  troweled  finish  and  after  season- 
ing for  a  few  weeks  (during  March)  the  surface  was 
polished  to  reveal  the  aggregate  and  give  the  appear- 
ance of  a  marble  mosaic  surface.  The  landings  were 
polished  with  a  Berg  rotary  surfacer  and  the  risers 
and  the  portion  of  the  treads  back  of  the  Mason  safety 
tread  and  nosing  strip  at  the  edges  of  steps  were  pol- 
ished by  a  small  cylinder  grinder.  The  corners  and 
angles  were  finished  by  hand. 

The  results  obtained  are  highly  gratifying  and  at  a 
much  lower  cost  than  marble,  although  possessing  al- 
most as  fine  an  appearance.  The  construction,  how- 
ever, developed  some  facts  which,  if  heeded  in  future 
work,  will  unquestionably  give  better  results. 

In  the  first  place  the  concrete  base  (mixed  with  or- 
dinary portland  cement)  was  in  some  cases  put  in 


104 


too  wet  and  in  some  places  where  pressure  was  brought 
to  bear  on  the  finish  coat  the  dark  mortar  oozed  up 
through  the  white  finish  and  resulted  in  dark  spots 
01  veins  in  the  finish  after  polishing.  The  remedy  for 
this  is,  of  course,  the  use  of  a  somewhat  drier  base 
course,  not  too  dry,  but  of  such  consistency  as  will 
require  some  tamping  or  spading  to  flush  water  to  the 
surface. 

In  polishing  the  surface  of  the  special  finishing  mix- 
ture, it  was  found  that  considerable  extra  time  had 
to  be  expended  in  order  to  obtain  desired  smoothness, 
owing  to  the  presence  of  the  sand  grains  which  at  first 
tended  to  pull  out  of  the  surface  under  the  action  of 
the  machine.  In  future  work  of  this  kind,  it  would 
therefore  seem  a  wise  precaution  to  abandon  the  use 
of  sand  altogether,  and  use  only  white  cement  and 
marble  screenings  varying  in  size  from  y2"  particles 
to  dust,  taking  care,  however,  not  to  get  too  much  of 
the  dust  in  the  mixture.  It  would  seem  that  the  pro- 
portion of  1  part  of  white  cement  to  ll/2  parts  or  2 
parts  of  marble  screenings  is  the  proper  one  for  this 
class  of  work,  where  a  good  wearing  surface  is  re- 
quired.— A.  M.  Wolf.    [July,  1917,  p.  5.] 


105 


Miscellaneous 

Patching  a  Leaky  Concrete  Wall 

The  writer  has  used  hydrated  lime  in  common  mortar 
for  repairing  concrete  walls  leaking  copiously  under 
hydrostatic  pressure,  following  this  simple  but  effec- 
tive method : 

The  concrete  is  cleaned  around  the  leak  and  Jpose 
particles  cut  away.  Running  water  is  cut  down  by 
driving  wooden  plugs  and  patches  of  burlap  into  the 


Stopping  a  Leaky  Concrete  Wall 


crevices.  A  form  is  prepared,  upon  the  face  of  which 
a  Yz"  twisted  burlap  gasket  is  nailed  and  a  stout 
brace,  sufficiently  long  to  reach  the  opposite  wall  is 
fastened  to  the  back  of  the  form. 

Common  1 :2  mortar,  mixed  to  a  thick  plastic  con- 
sistency and  containing  10%  (by  weight  of  the  cement) 
of  hydrated  lime,  is  placed  on  the  face  of  the  form, 
inside  the  gasket,  in  a  cone-shaped  mass.  This  is 
pressed  firmly  into  the  leaking  cavity,  while  the  form  is 


106 


given  a  twisting  motion,  to  expel  surplus  mortar.  The 
brace  is  then  driven  home. 

In  a  day  or  two  the  form  may  be  removed. 

Large,  leaking  areas  can  be  attacked  and  repaired  in 
this  manner  without  the  tedious  labor  of  "bleeding" 
the  concrete  or  draining  from  the  outside. 

The  Werk  Soap  Co.'s  new  plant  at  Cincinnati  is 
built  on  low,  waterbearing  soil.  Several  large  pits 
were  sunk  inside  the  building  and  walled  with  1 :2  :4 
concrete  containing  hydrated  lime.  One  pit  leaked 
badly  because  the  pump  broke  down  while  concreting 
and  much  of  the  concrete  was  deposited  in  water.  The 
method  described  and  illustrated  effectually  stopped  all 
leaks. — Edward  O.  Keator,  Cincinnati.    [Feb.,  1917, 

Strengthening  Columns  of  Reinforced 
Concrete 

The  strength  of  reinforced  concrete  columns  may 
be  increased  in  the  same  manner  as  the  repairs  were 
made  to  the  buildings  injured  by  fire  at  the  Edison 
Plant,  Orange,  N.  J.  The  writer  designed  the  rein- 
forcing of  these  columns,  to  be  made  as  follows : 

All  of  the  injured  exterior  of  the  columns  was  re- 
moved by  hand  tools,  and  the  remaining  good  con- 
crete was  surrounded  with  steel  spirals  %"  in  diam- 
eter, with  a  pitch  of  about  2".  These  spirals  were 
of  such  diameter  as  to  fit  closely  to  the  old  concrete 
on  the  corners,  leaving  considerable  space  between 
the  spirals  and  the  sides  of  the  originally  square  col- 
umns. Vertical  steel  in  proper  amount  was  placed 
inside  the  spirals.  Steel  forms  were  then  placed 
about  the  columns.  The  diameter  of  the  steel  forms 
was  approximately  3"  greater  than  the  diameter  of 
the  spirals,  so  that  there  would  be  at  least  V/2"  of 
fireproofing.  After  the  forms  were  in  place  concrete, 
consisting  of  one  part  cement  to  two  parts  of  sand. 


107 


but  with  no  large  aggregates,  was  poured  through 
holes  in  the  floor  slab  above  to  fill  the  column  forms. 
After  the  concrete  was  poured  into  these  forms  and 
had  set,  the  forms  were  stripped  and  the  concrete 
column,  I  believe,  may  be  considered  to  be  as  strong 
as  though  it  had  been  originally  cast  of  the  finished 
size  casing,  being  a  1:2  mixture,  instead  of  some- 
thing leaner,  will  be  stronger  than  the  interior  core, 
but  I  do  not  believe  that  the  extra  strength  of  this 
outside  casing  should  be  assumed  as  the  strength 
of  the  column. 

With  reference  to  reinforcing  columns  in  a  build- 
ing, to  take  greater  loads  than  they  are  designed 
for,  this  should  be  a  simple  matter  and  could  follow 
the  same  ideas  as  above  outlined.  I  believe  there 
will  be  more  trouble  in  strengthening  the  founda- 
tions to  take  the  added  load  than  there  will  be  in  re- 
inforcing the  columns  themselves. — T.  L.  Condron. 
[Oct.,  1918,  p.  139.] 

Some  Drafting  Room  Kinks 
We  have  discovered,  writes  William  Osborne  Sell, 
Birmingham,  Ala.,  that  pencil  drawings  on  tracing 
paper  could  be  made  twice  as  fast  as  ink  on  cloth. 
However,  the  blueprints  were  very  poor.  This  was 
overcome  by  using  black  carbon  paper  behind  the 
paper,  placed  so  the  carbon  impression  would  come 
on  the  back  of  the  tracing.  This  reinforced  the 
pencil  drawing  and  permits  good  blueprints  to  be 
made.   Changes  were  easily  made. 

All  of  our  drawings  for  concrete  work  are  made  in 
a  uniform  size.  One  sheet  of  typical  details  was  made, 
showing  beam  shapes,  section  through  typical  terra 
cotta  slabs,  and  through  typical  metal  tile  slabs,  typical 
column  details,  typical  bending  details,  etc.  Each  de- 
tail is  numbered  and  the  framing  plans  call  for  "De- 
tail No.  24,"  for  instance,  instead  of  a  special  section, 
as  heretofore.    [April }  1918,  p.  137.] 


108 


Test  Specimens  Bedded  in  Sand  for 


Recently  we  have  had  to  test  in  rapid  succession 
several  hundred  specimens,  whose  ends  were  not  ex- 
actly true.  Plaster  coating  was  out  of  the  question 
on  account  of  the  time  and  labor  involved.  To  get 
even  bearing,  therefore,  we  took  strips  of  galvanized 
iron  about  1"  wide,  and  wrapped  them  around  either 
end,  tying  them  loosely  in  place  with  a  wire. 


These  collars  were  then  drawn  about  y%"  beyond 
the  end  of  the  specimen.  The  lower  end  of  the  speci- 
men was  then  set  in  a  small  tin  pan  full  of  loose  sand, 
the  collar  going  down  into  it.  The  top  collar  was 
then  filled  with  loose  sand  and  struck  off  and  the 
specimen  placed  in  the  testing  machine. 

As  pressure  is  applied  the  collars  slip  along  the  speci- 
mens until  the  sand  takes  a  hard  bearing.  Testing 
then  goes  on  as  though  the  specimens  had  been  capped 
with  plaster.    We  have  found  that  this  method  gives 


Quick  Work 


Testing  Cylinders  Bedded  in  Sand 


109 


very  consistent  results,  and  is  fully  equal  to  plaster 
in  every  way.  Needless  to  say,  it  can  be  applied  to 
specimens  other  than  cylinders.  The  inception  of  the 
idea  was  in  some  experiments  made  prior  to  grouting 
in  sand  strata.  I  found  that  400,000  lbs.  of  pressure 
on  an  inch  diameter  plunger  was  insufficient  to  force 
cement  grout  more  than  into  the  sand.  At  the 
same  time  I  found  that  the  lateral  pressure  on  the 
container  was  very  slight  indeed.  These  results  I 
have  tried  in  the  foregoing  test  methods. — Nathan  C. 
Johnson,  Consulting  Concrete  Engineer,  N.  Y.  C. 
[Dec,  1918,  p.  /pp.] 


In  putting  down  a  concrete  porch  floor,  overlap- 
ping a  brick  wall,  a  good  drip  should  be  put  in  to 
keep  the  wall  clean  when  the  work  is  done,  as  well 
as  to  keep  it  clean  afterwards,  as  these  walls  other- 
wise get  badly  discolored  in  time.  I  use  a  galvan- 
ized iron  strip  for  this,  which  is  easily  made.  I 


used  to  try  to  cast  in  a  wood  strip,  and  often  broke 
the  edge  off  in  trying  to  take  it  out.  The  iron  strip 
remains  in,  and  if  in  time  it  corrodes  and  falls 
away  entirely  it  will  have  formed  the  drip  in  the 
concrete  without  weakening  the  edge.  The  gal- 
vanized iron,  however,  should  last  a  great  many 
years. — Vernon  Redding,  Architect,  Mansfield,  Ohio. 
[May,  1918,  p.  156.] 


Drip  for  Porch  Floor 


Drip  for  Porch  Floor  Projection 


110 


Better  Blueprint  Specifications 

Next  to  printed  specifications,  the  most  logical  and 
best  suited  for  the  purpose  are  blueprint  specifications, 
since  they  form  a  record  which  cannot  be  readily 
altered  or  changed  without  disclosing  the  fact  and, 
what  is  more,  every  copy  is  an  exact  duplicate  of  the 
other.  This  is  not  true,  for  instance,  when  10  sets 
are  needed  and  all  are  to  be  typewritten  on  white  paper. 
With  due  allowance  made  for  carbon  copies,  the  mak- 
ing of  these  would  involve  two  or  three  distinct  oper- 
ations, thus  increasing  the  chance  of  error. 

Blueprints  of  typewritten  originals  are  not  always 
clear  and  distinct,  even  when  written  on  onion  skin 
paper.  An  excellent  blueprint  is  obtained  from  an  orig- 
inal sheet  if  it  has  been  backed  up  by  a  carbon  sheet 
when  written,  thus  making  a  negative  of  the  material 
on  the  back  of  the  sheet.  Changes  cannot  be  made 
as  readily  on  such  sheets  as  when  written  on  the  face 
only,  but  this  is  an  asset  rather  than  a  disadvantage, 
for  it  tends  to  make  the  stenographer  exercise  more 
care  in  writing  than  if  changes  can  easily  be  made. — 
Albert  M.  Wolf,  principal  assistant  Engineer,  The 
Condron  Co.,  Chicago.    [June,  1918,  p.  208.] 

Mixer  Runs  Make-Shift  Pile  Driver 

A  concrete  bridge  became  undermined  by  flood, 
necessitating  the  use  of  steel  sheet  piling,  the  low  clear- 
way prevented  the  use  of  an  ordinary  pile  driver,  so 
a  discarded  jaw  from  an  old  stone  crusher  was  se- 
cured, a  runway  made  of  plank  and  suspended  from 
the  bridge,  with  a  block  fastened  in  the  head  and  a 
small  concrete  mixer  placed  in  position,  with  the  gear- 
ing removed.  This  was  used  for  motive  power  to 
drive  the  sheet  piling,  using  the  loading  lever  hoist  to 
operate  the  driver. — H.  W.  Cregier,  County  Superin- 
tendent of  Highways,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.   [May,  1918, 


ill 


Blue  Print  Holder 


Where  blue  prints  must  be  constantly  referred  to,  a 
holder  described  by  Henry  J.  Harms,  engineer  and 
builder,  Courbevoie,  France,  as  used  in  connection 
with  the  housing  work  done  in  France,  is  worth  while. 

The  holder  consists  of  a  piece  of  sheet  metal  of  a 
size  to  fit  the  drawings  to  be  used.    The  edges  are 


CZILULOJD- 

a     §  r  n 


Blue  Print  Holder 


turned  in  as  shown  by  the  illustration.  In  use  the  piece 
of  heavy  felt  is  placed  as  a  backing,  then  the  drawing 
is  slipped  in  and  a  piece  of  celluloid  placed  by  bending 
and  springing  in  as  shown.  The  whole  trick  lies  in  the 
construction  of  the  corners,  which  are  not  closed  but 
left  open  about  which  allows  the  celluloid  to  work 
into  place  without  cracking  while  the  felt  backing 
serves  to  keep  the  drawing  and  celluloid  cover  pressed 
tightly  in  place  against  the  metal  frame. 

There  would  of  course  be  a  practical  limit  to  the 
size  of  this  kind  of  holder  but  for  small  sized  prints 
such  as  are  used  in  housing  work,  or  photostats  from 
large  drawings  which  are  now  being  used  a  good  deal 
on  large  jobs,  the  idea  seems  to  have  a  good  deal  of 
value.    [Apr.,  ipi8,  p.  32.] 


112 


Fixing  a  Triangle  to  Avoid  Blots 

On  very  hot  days  in  the  summer  I  have  found  that 
the  ink  from  the  ruling  pen  is  attracted  very  easily 
to  the  edges  of  the  triangle,  running  under  the  latter 
and  causing  disagreeable  blots,  which  destroy  the  neat- 
ness of  the  tracing  and  very  often  the  disposition  of  the 
draftsman. 

In  order  to  avoid  all  these  difficulties,  simply  take 
a  pocket  knife  and  shave  off  all  sides  of  the  triangle 
to  a  bevel  extending  about  one-third  the  thickness  of 
the  material.   A  cross-sectional  view  is  shown. 

By  this  little  scheme,  blotting  of  the  cloth  becomes 


almost  impossible,  and  I  have  found  also  that  the  bevel 
is  useful  in  case  it  should  be  found  necessary  to  trace 
a  line  immediately  adjacent  to  another  wet  line,  the 
bevel  covering  the  wet  line  without  smearing  it,  and 
the  draftsman  is  able  to  reach  to  desired  line  with  his 
pen. — L.  H.  Christen,  Champaign,  Illinois.  [May, 
1918,  p.  156.] 


A  stucco  contractor  makes  winter  search  for 
houses  that  look  "pitted,"  with  paint  peeling  off. 
Then  he  tries  to  get  in  touch  with  the  owner  and 
convince  him  that  what  he  needs  for  his  building 
is  not  another  dose  of  the  paint  brush,  but  an  over- 
coat of  concrete  stucco.    [Apr.,  1917,  p.  133.] 


Fixing  a  Triangle  to  Avoid  Blots 


Getting  Stucco  Jobs 


113 


Leaky  Basements  Made  Waterproof 
My  work  in  the  last  five  years  has  been  mostly 
repair  work.  I  have  waterproofed  something  like 
fifty  or  more  basements  of  all  kinds,  the  largest  being 
a  school  32'  x  50',  two  stories,  with  full  basement. 
The  water  was  18"  deep  when  I  took  the  contract. 
The  contractor  had  a  sump  on  the  outside  of  the 
building,  with  3"  centrifugal  pump,  automatic  motor 
driven,  and  when  he  laid  his  floor  he  pumped  most 
of  his  cement  away  with  the  water,  leaving  the  floor 
porous  all  over.  My  first  work  was  to  dig  a  trench 
through  the  old  floor,  through  sand  and  gravel  18" 
deep,  to  the  lower  water  level,  and  cover  the  trench 
with  a  reinforced  concrete  floor.  I  then  plastered  the 
inside  walls  }4"  thick  with  mortar  1  cement  to  ll/2 
of  fine  sand.  There  were  two  brick  walls  10'  apart 
the  short  way;  these  I  plastered  30"  high  on  all 
sides,  using  12  lbs.  of  Ironite  to  every  100  square 
feet  of  surface  for  all  plastered  work. 

I  then  laid  a  6"  floor  of  1:2:4  concrete,  using 
American  fence  wire  for  reinforcing,  floor  being  laid 
without  stopping.  The  top  coat  was  laid  the  next 
day,  using  24"  screeds  and  treating  floors  as  side 
walls.  After  standing  for  10  hours  I  pumped  the 
water  back  into  the  basement,  18"  deep,  or  to  its 
own  level  outside,  and  let  it  stand  7  days,  pumped 
out  water  and  dried  out. 

The  school  board  turned  irrigation  water  into  the 
ditches  6'  away  from  the  schoolhouse  to  test  it  out. 
All  O.  K.  That  was  7  years  ago  and  all  the  others 
have  been  treated  the  same,  except  the  boiler  room 
and  cool  room,  15'  x,30',  under  a  theatre,  16'  deep, 
w7ith  of  river  pressure.  The  coal  floor  was  1' 
higher  than  the  boiler  room  floor,  so  we  moved  the 
boiler  into  the  coal  room,  cleaned  the  floor  with 
muriatic  acid  straight.  I  used  a  2"  top.  Took 
pressure  away  by  drilling  24"  holes  in  walls,  using 
24"  pipe. 

114 


There  is  always  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  water 
under  furnace  floors,  under  fire  grates.  They  will 
either  burn  out  or  crack,  no  matter  how  deep  the 
concrete  floor  is,  on  new  work  or  old.  To  remedy 
this,  raise  the  boiler  6"  or  8",  then  lay  down  build- 
ing paper  on  the  old  floor.  Lay  new  floor  on  the 
paper,  so  it  will  not  bond  to  old  floor.  Mix  the  con- 
crete 1:1J4:3.  Firebrick  is,  however,  better  as  a 
heat  absorber. — O.  Robinson,  Boise,  Idaho.  [Oct., 
1918,  p.  130.] 

A  Scaffold  for  Removing  Forms 

The  removal  of  forms  in  high  storied  buildings  calls 
for  some  type  of  scaffold  that  can  be  handled  rapidly. 

For  a  recent  job  hooks  were  made  of  1^4"  steel, 
as  shown  in  the  illustration.   They  were  hung  over  a 


US/eel 


A  Handy  Scaffold  for  Wrecking  Forms 

plank  supported  on  shore  heads  and  carried  on  edge 
a  plank,  over  which  the  floor  planks  were  laid. 

Adoption  of  this  idea  would  be  useful  in  many 
places. — R.  H.  Washburne,  Milwaukee.  [Feb.,  1917, 
P-  5'0 


115 


Improvised  Light  System  for  Night  Work 

Electric  power  is  usually  available  in  construction 
work  and  simplifies  the  question  of  supplying  light 
for  night  work.  Have  a  circuit  run  into  the  build- 
ing to  the  hoist  tower  and  then  run  it  up  one  post 
of  the  tower.  Leave  a  socket,  fastened  to  the  post 
at  each  floor  level,  for  leadoffs.  On  account  of 
dropping  concrete  a  piece  of  board  should  be  nailed 
over  the  socket  to  protect  it.  Have  the  switch  for 
this  circuit  in  a  box  that  can  be  locked.  When 
light  is  wanted  on  any  floor  it  is  a  simple  matter 
to  attach  a  flexible  cord  to  the  socket  on  the  post. 
All  sockets  on  construction  should  be  of  composi- 
tion other  than  porcelain,  as  it  is  less  likely  to  break. 

Very  bright  lights  can  be  made  of  old  automobile 
headlight  reflectors.  These  can  usually  be  picked 
up  at  any  automobile  wrecker's  shop  for  about  50 
cents.  As  these  reflectors  are  used  for  very  small 
lights  it  will  be  necessary  to  saw  off  the  bottom  to 
receive  an  ordinary  sized  lamp.  Make  a  square  box 
so  that  the  reflector  can  be  fastened  to  it.  A  socket 
is  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  box  and  the  lamp 
inserted.  Cover  the  box  with  mesh  wire  cloth 
for  protection.  A  40-watt  Mazda  lamp  in  such  a 
reflector  will  give  a  light  so  strong  that  it  cannot 
be  looked  at  directly.  On  the  back  of  the  box  put 
a  hook  so  that  it  can  be  hung  on  a  nail.  With  each 
light  should  be  enough  flexible  cord  to  reach  the 
farthest  corner  of  the  building.  Cluster  sockets  can 
be  inserted  in  the  socket  on  the  hoist  tower  post 
when  several  lights  are  needed.    [Feb.,  1917,  p.  88.] 


When  building  forms  it  is  well  in  many  places  to 
nail  through  a  bit  of  lath.  This  allows  the  forms  to 
be  drawn  tight  and  when  wrecking  the  lath  may  be 
split  allowing  the  nails  to  be  drawn  easily. 


116 


Soap-and-Alum  Waterproofing 

The  soap-and-alum  process  in  waterproofing  has 
been  used  frequently  by  engineers  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment. It  is  described  in  the  1901  report  of  the  Chief 
of  Engrs.,  U.  S.  Army,  as  follows : 

The  soap-and-alum  (Sylvester)  process  was  used  in  "water- 
proof mortar"  and  applied  to  both  horizontal  and  exposed 
vertical  surfaces.  This  mortar  was  made  by  taking  1  part 
cement  and  2%  parts  sand  and  adding  thereto  Y\  lb.  of  pul- 
verized alum  (dry)  to  each  cu.  ft.  of  sand,  all  of  which  was 
first  mixed  dry,  then  the  proper  amount  of  water — in  which 
had  been  dissolved  about  24  lb.  of  soft  soap  to  the  gal.  of 
water — was  added  and  the  mixing  thoroughly  completed. 

The  mixture  is  a  little  inferior  in  strength  to  ordinary  mor- 
tar of  the  same  proportions  and  is  impervious  to  water,  and 
is  also  useful  in  preventing  efflorescence.  The  alum  is  in 
excess  for  the  reason  that  it  coagulates  other  things  than 
soap  that  may  come  to  it. 

The  process  was  applied  in  connection  with  concrete  con- 
struction in  fortifications  at  New  York  Harbor.  Similar 
treatment  is  known  to  have  been  used  somewhat  extensively 
elsewhere  in  work  of  like  character. 

[June,  1916,  p.  272,] 

Indicating  Concrete  Sections  on  Plans 
Where  large  areas  of  concrete  are  shown  in  section 
on  the  detail  plans  of  concrete  structures  a  firm  of  in- 
dustrial engineers  has  found  that  excellent  results  can 
be  obtained  at  a  much  lower  cost  than  by  the  usual 
"stone  and  sand"  indication,  by  blackening  the  sections 
on  the  back  of  the  tracing  cloth  with  an  H  or  HB 
grade  pencil  after  the  gloss  has  been  partially  removed 
by  an  ordinary  eraser. 

Where  the  usual  symbol  "broken  stone  and  sand" 
is  used  to  indicate  concrete  in  section  it  has  been  found 
best  to  do  this  ink  work  on  the  back  of  the  tracing. 
Changes  and  erasures  can  then  be  made  quickly  with- 
out interfering  with  the  section  symbols,  thus 
saving  time. — Albert  M.  Wolf,  principal  assistant 
engineer,  The  Condron  Co.,  Chicago.  [May,  1918, 
P.  1531 


117 


Improvising  a  Swing  Scaffold 
The  usual  type  of  scaffolding  in  use  on  steel  frame 
and  reinforced  concrete  buildings  is  in  the  form  of  a 
heavy  floor  hung  by  steel  cables  or  rods  from  outrig- 
gers projecting  from  the  roof. 


Using  Steel  Cable  and  Cable  Clips  to  Build  Swing 
Scaffolding 

This  scaffold  is  raised  and  lowered  by  means  of 
special  devices,  which  are  efficient  when  available.  It 
often  occurs,  however,  that  this  equipment  is  not  at 
hand  or  the  work  in  question  will  not  warrant  its  pur- 
chase. In  constructing  a  new  steel  frame  building  at 
a  cement  plant  recently  it  become  necessary  to  provide 
scaffolding  to  a  height  of  50'  throughout  a  large  build- 
ing. The  outlay  for  lumber  and  labor  would  have  been 


118 


very  large.  The  contractor  secured  a  quantity  of  dis- 
carded cable  of  ample  strength  for  scaffolding  pur- 
poses and  by  means  of  cable  clips  arranged  suspension 
lines  hung  to  the  steel  roof  frame  at  proper  locations. 

The  method  by  which  the  scaffold  floor  was  secured 
to  the  cable  is  shown  by  the  illustration.  A  small  piece 
of  iron  was  bent  to  a  right  angle  and  clipped  to  the 
cable.  This  formed  a  support  on  which  scaffold  bear- 
ers with  notched  ends  could  be  supported.  A  slotted 
iron  plate  between  the  clip  and  the  wood  would  form 
a  better  bearing,  if  available,  or  enough  washers  could 
be  strung  on  the  cable  before  the  staging  was  built  to 
provide  for  the  required  number  of  lifts. 

Raising  the  scaffold  is  effected  by  placing  a  second 
set  of  clips  and  bearers,  when  the  floor  planks  can  be 
raised  readily  to  the  next  level.  This  leaves  the  first 
set  used  available  for  still  further  use.    [Feb.,  1917, 

Calcium  Chloride  to  Accelerate  Hardening 
The  use  of  calcium  chloride  to  accelerate  the  hard- 
ening of  concrete  is  discussed  briefly  by  S.  W.  Strat- 
ton,  Director  Bureau  of  Standards,  in  a  recent  letter 
as  follows : 

Iii  a  recent  investigation  we  found  that  the  use  of  a  4% 
solution  by  weight  of  calcium  chloride  in  place  of  the  mixing 
water  materially  accelerates  the  hardening  of  concrete,  but 
does  not  appreciably  affect  the  time  of  setting.  This  accel- 
eration varies  somewhat  with  different  cements;  with  some 
cement  in  1 :2 :4  concrete  we  found  the  strength  increased 
about  100%  in  24  hrs.  and  48  hrs.  This,  we  believe,  is  due  to 
the  more  complete  hydration  of  the  silicates  and  aluminates, 
for  it  was  found  they  were  more  completely  hydrated  when 
the  calcium  chloride  was  used.  Its  use  increases  the  cost  of 
concrete  12  cts.  to  15  cts.  per  cu.  yd.  For  best  results,  it  is 
important  that  the  concrete  be  mixed  to  a  quaking  or  mushy 
consistency,  but  not  fluid  consistency.  Calcium  chloride 
should  be  used  with  caution  in  reinforced  concrete,  as  the 
presence  of  the  calcium  chloride  will  accelerate  any  corro- 
sion of  the  reinforcement  which  may  occur. 

[July,  1916,  p.  28.} 


119 


Clip  for  Attaching  Wire  Mesh  to 
Steel  Work 


To  attach  heavy  wire  mesh  quickly  and  cheaply 
to  structural  steel  sections,  Carl  Weber,  of  the  Tor- 
crete  Shipbuilding  Co.,  uses  steel  spring  washers  made 


Using  a  Spring  Washer  As  a  Clip  for  Attaching  Wire 
Mesh  to  Steel  Work 

with  an  opening  that  allows  them  to  be  forced  over 
the  flange  of  a  steel  member  by  a  hammer  blow,  as 
shown.    [May,  ip  18,  p.  155.] 

Pay  a  Man  What  He  Earns 

After  trying  it  both  ways,  I  have  found  that  to 
have  a  standard  price  for  my  men  is  a  failure,  be- 
cause there  are  but  few  men  who  will  continue  to  be 
speedy  when  working  alongside  a  slow,  loafing  fel- 
low. If  the  slow  loafer  is  getting  as  much  money 
as  the  speedy  number  1  man,  he  will  never  speed  up 
in  the  world.  Your  first-class  man  will  soon  slow 
down  to  the  slow  man.  Thus  you  spoil  the  good  one 
and  never  improve  the  poor  one.  Otherwise,  you 
can  make  a  good  man  out  of  the  loafer  on  the  job, 
many  times,  if  you  pay  him  less,  with  an  increase  in 
wages  just  as  soon  as  he  makes  himself  worth  it. — 
Charles  J.  Behler,  Oregon,  111.    [Oct.,  1918,  p.  121.] 


120 


Gravel  Screening  Kinks 
On  one  job,  the  layout  was  such  that  we  served  local 
gravel  direct  into  the  charging  end  of  a  small  gasoline 
driver  mixer,  from  the  railroad  car.  The  mix  was  1 :4, 
as  the  gravel  was  excellent,  coarse  and  uniformly 
graded,  dredged  from  a  nearby  river.  At  the  same 
time,  screened  sand  was  required  for  mortar.  The 
gravel  was  wet  and  hard  to  screen.  There  was  con- 
siderable vibration  from  the  mixer  engine  and  our 
foreman  conceived  the  idea  of  attaching  the  mixer 
frame  to  the  screen  by  a  wooden  strut,  making  a 


Two  Gravel  Screening  Kinks 
shaking  screen.  It  kept  two  men  "humping"  to  shovel 
gravel  into  the  screen  fast  enough  to  feed  the  mixer 
loader  and  the  mortar  men.  The  quantity  of  screened 
sand  was  increased  materially  with  a  reduction  of 
the  entire  screening  crew.  It  sure  was  a  money  saver 
and  a  speeder. — W.  H.  Scales,  Danville,  111. 

An  inexpensive  and  convenient  device  for  screening 
sand  and  gravel,  and  at  the  same  time  loading  them 
into  wheelbarrows,  will  prove  convenient  on  many  small 
jobs.  It  is  described  by  Harold  J.  Spellman,  in  the 
Engineering  News-Record.  It  consists  of  a  chair- 
shaped  frame,  supporting  a  screen,  which  can  readily 
be  made  adjustable  to  several  angles  for  varying  aggre- 
gates. If  desired,  two  or  more  screens  of  different 
mesh  can  be  made  interchangeable  with  the  frame. 


121 


In  using  the  screen,  one  wheelbarrow  is  run  in  from 
the  back  and  catches  most  of  the  sand,  and  the  second 
wheelbarrow  is  run  under  the  lower  end  of  the  screen 
and  receives  the  stone. 

Some  time  ago  Concrete  described  a  somewhat  sim- 
ilar arrangement,  which  had  the  added  feature  of  a 
shield  to  prevent  the  scattering  of  the  sand,  as  indi- 
cated by  the  illustration.    [Sept.,  1918,  p.  92.] 

Screening  Gravel  at  the  Pit 

The  following  method  of  delivering  reasonably  well 
screened  gravel  is  applicable  to  pits  where  there  is  not 
a  great  excess  of  large  stone  but  where  there  is  too 
much  sand. 

A  screen  about  3'  x  6'  is  provided  with  hooks  and 
braces  that  enable  it  to  be  slipped  into  irons  provided 
on  the  wagon  box.  The  screen  stands  at  an  angle  and 
hangs  out  over  the  ground.  Gravel  is  shoveled  from 
the  bank  and  thrown  across  the  wagon  on  to  the 
screen.  It  is  thus  shoveled  only  once  and  labor  cost 
greatly  reduced.    [Dec,  1917,  p.  189.] 

A  House  Builder's  Business  Card 

Hugh  B.  Miller,  building  contractor,  Edge- 
water  Park,  N.  J.,  has  a  business  card  with  the  let- 
tering in  black  right  over  a  brown  tinted  illustration 
of  a  large  residence.  There  is  something  about  this 
card  which  might  in  some  respects  be  copied  by  a 
good  many  contractors.  In  this  the  name  of  the 
man  and  his  line  of  business  are  closely  identified  on 
the  card  with  the  kind  of  work  he  does.  It  is  sug- 
gested that  the  illustration  used  be  selected  with 
a  great  deal  of  care  in  order  to  get  one  that  will 
have  the  right  effect  when  printed  in  light  tone.  It 
need  not  be  in  brown — it  might  be  in  grey.  [May, 
W7>  P-  I95-] 


122 


Keeping  a  Labor  Supply 

E.  H.  Backemeyer,  of  Sioux  City  Concrete  Pipe 
Co.,  Sioux  City,  la.,  in  reference  to  the  present  labor 
situation,  says  that  he  keeps  from  six  to  ten  men 
in  his  plant  at  a  wage  which  keeps  them  pretty  well 
satisfied  with  a  steady  job,  and  he  keeps  a  liner  ad- 
vertisement running  in  the  daily  paper  in  his  city 
all  the  time  for  laborers.  This  is  because  of  the 
shifting  tendency  of  labor  in  the  last  year  or  so.  In 
this  way  he  is  able  to  use  the  green  men  and  get 
along  very  well  at  market  price  for  common  labor. 
He  says  it  doesn't  take  a  high  priced  man  to  tip  over 
2.  concrete  pipe  that  is  well  cured  and  roll  it  out  into 
the  yard.    [Mar.,  1918,  p.  83.] 

Acid-Proofing  Concrete 
Substances  proving  efficacious  in  protecting  concrete 
from  the  action  of  acids  of  varying  strength  are  rec- 
ommended by  K.  E.  Hildreth,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  as  fol- 
lows : 

Pitch — This  well  known  coal  tar  derivative  serves  well  in 
protecting  a  basin  or  channel  where  the  acid  or  acid  solution 
is  at  rest  or  under  flow.  A  sixty  point  or  sixty  sulphur  pitch 
has  been  found  to  adhere  firmly  and  remain  hard  under  ordi- 
nary range  of  temperatures.  The  enamel  surface  particularly 
resists  the  scouring  action  of  stream  flow.  Acidities  ranging 
in  degree  up  to  10%  do  not  attack  it.  In  all  probability  it  will 
resist  much  stronger  solutions.  Its  application  is  necessarily 
limited  to  surfaces  that  are  perfectly  dry  and  where  space  is 
not  so  confined  as  to  render  the  fumes,  arising  when  it  is 
brushed  on  hot,  dangerous  to  workmen. 

Gilsonite,  or  Uintaite — An  asphalt  or  mixture  of  hydro- 
carbons which  is  in  the  form  of  a  black,  brittle  and  lustrous 
mass  readily  workable  when  heated  as  is  the  pitch.  Should 
be  thinned,  using  benzol  to  apply  as  a  bond  coat,  then  the 
enamel  coat  applied  hot.  (This  asphalt  is  found  in  Colorado 
and  Utah.  A  chemical  investigation  of  gilsonite  is  reported 
in  the  Jour.  Franklin  Inst,  Vol.  140,  1895,  p.  221,  by  W.  C. 
Day) 

Minubrite  Mastic — This  is  a  commercial  product,  a  blended 
asphalt.   A  bond  coat  is  first  brushed  on  and  then  the  mastic 


123 


is  troweled  oil  to  a  thickness  varying  with  the  service,  from 
%"  in  channels  carrying  solutions  having  swift  flow  to  1/16" 
in  basins  or  tanks  where  the  liquid  is  quiescent.  Advantages 
of  this  material  are  that  it  is  applied  cold,  the  surfaces  need 
not  be  absolutely  dry  and  the  matter  remains  plastic,  so  that 
expansion  does  not  check  the  surface.  If  trouble  should  be 
experienced  in  swift  flow  channels  or  at  bends  this  plasticity 
allows  of  the  surface  being  sanded;  use  sharp  silica  sand,  to 
offer  a  wearing  surface  resisting  the  abrasive  stream  action. 
This  has  been  found  to  resist  the  action  of  hot  concentrated 
nitric  acid  for  a  period  of  several  months  without  being 
affected.  Installation  was  temporary.  Weak  acids  do  not 
seem  to  affect  it  when  contact  is  indefinite. 

[June,  ipi8,  p.  205.] 

Using  Space  Under  Barn  Driveway 
It  is  suggested  by  the  University  of  Wisconsin  that 
in  many  cases  the  space  under  the  elevated  drive  or 
bridge  to  the  barn  floor  could  be  profitably  used  for 
a  milk  room,  the  drive  itself  being  the  roof. 


o  rarest-  ro/e.  9  \5*w/*. 
Wo.     -pize,  Le/varst 
EG  *         /O  • 

^>         4  /e' 
LJ* — res  — »j 


Suggested  Details  for  Room  Under  the  Barn  Driveway 
Obviously,  there  are  many  uses  to  which  this  space 
can  be  adapted  profitably*  one  of  which  can  well  be 
root  storage,  since  only  the  two  side  walls  are  ordi- 
narily exposed,  and  since  they  can  easily  be  banked 
with  earth  if  desired  for  further  protection. 

Provision  could  be  made  for  filling  such  a  root 
cellar  from  above,  through  a  trap  door,  simply  by 
driving  the  load  up  the  regular  barn  driveway.  [Apr. 
ipi8,  p.  140.] 

124 


Window  Details 

Here  are  some  window  details  used  on  concrete 
walled  houses  at  Claymont,  Del.,  for  the  General 
Chemical  Co.  They  were  worked  out  by  Milton 
Dana  Morrill.  All  frames  were  built  up  on  the  job. 
In  Fig.  1  is  shown  a  vertical  section  through  the 
window  head.  A  strip  of  tin  is  tacked  to  the  yoke 
and  extends  up  into  the  concrete.  This  makes  a 
joint  that  is  air  tight  as  well  as  watertight. 


Fig.  1 — Window  Details 


A  plan  cut  through  the  side  of  the  window  frame 
is  also  shown.  The  sash  weight  box  is  formed  by 
tacking  a  channel  shaped  metal  strip  to  the  pulley 
stile.  The  sill  and  the  yoke  are  cut  long,  so  that 
this  metal  weight  box  has  a  secure  nailing  top  and 
bottom.  On  account  of  the  channel  shape  of  this 
metal  weight  box,  it  makes  a  very  rigid  frame  and 
is  at  the  same  time  lighter  and  less  expensive  than 
the  usual  wood  frame.    (See  Fig.  2.) 

The  frames  were  made  up  with  a  reveal  strip 
tacked  on  in  place  of  the  staff,  as  shown  in  the  de- 
tail. These  temporary  reveal  strips  built  the  frames 
out  to  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  so  that  the  frames 


125 


complete  were  set  in  the  steel  forms  at  any  point 
desired,  and  the  concrete  poured  around  these 
frames,  making  a  weather  tight  joint.  By  the  use 
of  this  simple  metal  weight  box  the  wood  work, 
which  is  sure  to  shrink,  is  reduced  to  a  minimum 
when  the  concrete  is  poured  around  the  windows. 
The  temporary  reveal  strips  are  removed  and  the 


Fig.  2 — Window  Details 

staff  strip  is  applied.  This  serves  both  as  a  finish 
and  forms  the  sash  runway.  The  stucco  was  fin- 
ished up  against  the  staff.  The  reveal  strips  were 
made  of  cypress,  so  that  they  were  used  over 
and  over  again. 

A  sill  detail  is  shown,  with  a  drip  under  the  sash. 
The  temporary  reveal  strips  extend  down  below  the 
wood  sill  and  form  a  recess.  The  finished  concrete 
sill  is  afterwards  molded  in  place.  Wires  are  left 
projecting  in  the  sill  recess,  which  furnish  a  secure 
bond  (Fig.  3). 

The  outside  wood  sill  is  applied  after  the  con- 
crete sill  is  finished  and  is  so  arranged  as  to  extend 
down  and  cover  the  joint  between  the  main  wood 
sill  and  the  concrete.  This  outside  wood  sill  is  set 
with  a  white  lead  joint.  While  time  is  the  best 
test  of  new  structural  details,  such,  for  instance,  as 


126 


this  window  sill,  it  seems  quite  possible  that  it  will 
eliminate  one  of  the  difficulties  in  concrete  house 
building — the  making  of  watertight  window  sills. 
The  brick  in  the  usual  wall  are  so  porous  that  they 
absorb  any  water  that  beats  in  under  the  sill,  but 


the  concrete  does  not  take  the  water  so  freely  and 
this  accounts,  perhaps,  for  the  fact  that  windows  in 
some  of  our  concrete  houses  have  given  trouble 
from  leaks.  As  a  rule  the  frames  are  much  more 
nearly  weatherproof  in  a  concrete  wall  than  in  a 
brick  wall.    (Jan.,  1919,  p.  ip.] 

Underpinning  in  Soft  Soil 

"You  can't  build  on  that,  why  you  will  not  strike 
solid  ground  for  another  10',"  they  told  me.  "That 
is  all  that  black  'muck'."  Here  is  what  I  did :  I  got 
a  well  digger,  who  had  nothing  to  do  for  that  week, 
to  drill  holes  for  my  footings  for  the  walls,  garbage 
incinerator  and  porch  and  post  footings.   We  dug  33 


Fig.  3 — Window  Details 


127 


holes  from  14'  to  24'  deep,  or  until  we  struck  solid 
ground.  The  result  was  a  fine  house  on  worthless 
ground. — George  Krueger,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  [June, 
1918,  p.  207.] 

Simple  Field  Test  for  Organic  Material 
in  Sand 

To  make  a  field  test  for  organic  impurity  in  sand 
fill  a  12-oz.  graduated  prescription  bottle  to  the  4^2- 
oz.  mark  with  sand  to  be  tested.  Add  a  3%  solution 
of  sodium  hydroxide  until  the  volume  of  the  sand 
and  solution,  after  shaking,  amounts  to  7  oz.  Shake 
thoroughly  and  let  stand  over  night.  Observe  the 
color  of  the  clear  supernatant  liquid. 

In  approximate  field  tests  it  is  not  necessary  to 
make  comparison  with  color  standards.  If  the  clear 
supernatant  liquid  is  colorless,  or  has  a  light  yellow 
color,  the  sand  may  be  considered  satisfactory  in  so 
far  as  organic  impurities  are  concerned.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  a  dark-colored  solution,  ranging  from 
dark  reds  to  black,  is  obtained  the  sand  should  be 
subjected  to  the  usual  mortar  strength  tests. 

Field  tests  made  in  this  way  are  not  supposed 
to  give  quantitive  results,  but  will  be  found  useful 
in : 

(1)  Prospecting  for  sand  supplies; 

(2)  Checking  the  quality  of  sand  received  on  the 

job; 

(3)  Preliminary  examination  of  sands  in  the  lab- 

oratory. 

An  approximate  volumetic  determination  of  the 
silt  in  sand  can  be  made  by  estimating  or  measuring 
the  thickness  of  the  fine  material  which  settles  on 
the  top  of  the  sand.  The  percent  of  silt  by  volume 
has  been  found  to  vary  from  1  to  2  times  the  per- 
cent by  weight. — D.  A.  Abrams,  Lewis  Institute, 
Chicago.    [Apr.,  1917,  p.  151.] 


128 


Hoisting  Kink  Used  in  Excavating 
Here  is  a  sketch  of  a  hoist  to  use  in  excavating 
under  a  building  for  a  basement.    The  box  can  be 
let  down  on  a  track  into  the  basement;  shovel  the 


Hoist  Employed  Economically  in  Excavation 
dirt  into  the  box  and  pull  it  out  with  a  horse,  and 
when  it  gets  up  over  the  wagon,  it  will  dump  automat- 
ically. I  find  this  will  cut  the  labor  more  than  half. — 
H.  C.  Wilson,  Wilson  Concrete  Co.,  Dyersburg,  Tenn. 
[Sept.,  1918,  p.  93.] 

Hollow  Pedestal  Over  Brick  "Form" 

In  building  a  pedestal  base  for  a  modeled  figure 
for  a  swimming  pool  fountain,  the  design  was  roughed 
out  in  brick,  leaving  the  center  hollow,  then  coated 
with  concrete  put  on  with  a  trowel  on  poultry  netting 
drawn  over  the  rough  brick  form.  This  made  a  simple 
construction,  leaving  a  hollow  space  for  the  pipes  and 
connections  inside  of  the  pedestal  without  building 
forms  of  special  shape  and  no  delays  waiting  for 
concrete  to  set.  I  think  this  is  very  economical 
for  that  class  of  work  which  would  require  expen- 
sive forms. — J.  F.  Beckbissinger,  Cooper  &  Beck- 
bissinger,  Architects,  Saginaw,  Mich.    [May,  1918, 


129 


Handy  Scaffold  Equipment 
The  scaffold  equipment  illustrated  is  cheaply  made 
and  of  almost  universal  use.    For  laying  brick  and 
block,  for  operating  wall  machines,  for  plastering  and 
numerous  odd  jobs,  it  is  always  ready  and  adaptable. 

The  horses  should  be  substantially  made,  with  2  x 
4  or  2  x  6  tops  and  1x6  legs  are  best  for  continued 


Details  of  a  General  Purpose  Scaffold 


service.  The  extensions  can  be  made  of  2  x  4  or  2 
x  3,  with  1x4  cleats. 

The  feature  of  the  scaffold  is  the  overhanging  end 
of  the  horses,  which  permit  placing  the  extension  over 
them.  The  scaffold  is  of  course  stayed  against  rack- 
ing over  when  in  use.    [May,  1918,  p.  97.] 

An  Emergency  Salamander 
In  an  emergency,  make-shift  stoves  or  salamanders 
may  be  used.  A  heavy  steel  oil  drum  no  longer  fit 
for  holding  oil  proved  economical  in  first  cost  and  in 
operation.  Remove  one  end  and  punch  a  number  of 
1"  holes  in  the  bottom  and  side  near  the  bottom.  The 
stove  should  then  be  set  on  a  loose  brick  foundation 
directly  under  the  freshly  poured  concrete  work.  A 
coke  fire  will  burn  all  night  if  the  drum  is  filled  nearly 
to  the  top  with  fuel. 


130 


In  one  large  building  where  the  entire  construction 
was  of  concrete,  dozens  of  these  stoves  were  used  to 
prevent  cracks  in  the  concrete  with  freezing  before  it 
had  time  to  set.    [Dec,  1917,  p.  168.] 

Photographs  for  Protection 

High  prices  and  scarcity  of  material  have  unde- 
niably resulted  in  less  carefully  graded  materials. 
Unfortunately,  visual  inspection  does  not  reveal  all 
defects,  but  where,  as  in  the  case  of  lumber,  lax 
grading  is  obvious,  the  practice  of  a  certain  lumber 
dealer  is  valuable. 

As  material  is  unloaded  defective  pieces  are  sorted 
out  and  arranged  by  the  car  so  as  to  show  the  de- 
fects. The  lot  is  photographed  and  a  picture  sent 
wath  a  protest  to  the  shipper. 

The  same  idea  can  be  indefinitely  extended  by 
taking  photographs  of  all  work  where  there  is  any 
reason  to  believe  question  may  arise.  Pictures  are 
the  very  best  evidence  in  case  of  a  law  suit  and 
have  many  times  prevented  suit.  Pictures  are 
cheaper  than  lawyers.    [June,  1917,  p.  22^.\ 

Keeping  Belt-Course  Brick  in  Line 
In  laying  a  belt  course  of  brick  around  a  building, 
especially  a  soldier  course,  or  where  the  bricks  are 
standing  on  their  ends,  with  an  inch  projection,  it  is 
difficult  to  keep  them  in  line.  To  do  so  fasten  1" 
boards  with  a  straight  edge  up  against  the  brick  wall 
by  nailing  into  mortar  joints  and  possibly  strips  to 
window  frames,  these  boards  to  be  high  enough  to 
allow  for  a  mortar  joint  under  the  brick  and  the  brick 
to  rest  on  the  mortar  and  the  edge  of  tHe  board.  This 
will  keep  the  bottom  of  the  projecting  bricks  level 
and  the  bricks  are  easily  and  quickly  laid  to  the  line 
in  a  perfect  manner.  The  boards  are  taken  away  as 
soon  as  the  course  is  laid. — Scott  Healey,  Otsego, 
Mich.    [June,  1918,  p.  205.] 


131 


Leveling  Building  With  Concrete 

W.  C.  McCreight,  of  Oklahoma  City,  Okla.,  tells 
just  how  he  uses  concrete  to  straighten  up  buildings 
that  have  settled  out  of  line. 

In  the  case  of  a  frame  barn  on  a  stone  foundation 
that  had  settled,  the  desired  level  was  first  deter- 
mined and  grade  stakes  driven.  The  building  was 
then  jacked  to  line  by  using  railroad  ties  as  needles 
under  the  sill  and  the  necessary  excavation  made 
for  the  new  foundation. 

Forms  were  built  to  the  sill  on  one  side  and  to  a 
point  4"  below  the  sill  on  the  other  from  which  pour- 
ing was  to  be  done.  A  "splash  board"  was  fastened 
to  the  top  of  the  pouring  side  so  that  the  forms 
could  be  filled  through  the  4"  space.  The  forms 
were  built  around  the  needles  and  sand  was  packed 
around  them  as  the  concrete  was  placed  to  provide 
for  their  removal. 

While  the  concrete  was  still  reasonably  soft,  the 
forms  were  removed  and  the  ridge  of  concrete  left 
next  to  the  sill  trimmed  off.  Variations  in  this  pro- 
cedure are  sometimes  made  by  pre-casting  sub- 
stantial concrete  piers  and  setting  them  in  concrete 
footing.  A  hole  is  left  through  each  pier  through 
which  bars  can  be  inserted  for  handling  it.  Still 
another  method  sometimes  used  is  to  jack  up  the 
barn  and  build  piers  or  short  sections  of  walls  be- 
tween the  needles,  filling  in  the  alternate  spaces  after 
they  are  removed.    [Sept.,  1918,  p.  93.] 

Preventing  Leaks  in  Concrete  Buildings 
The  details  of  concrete  buildings  sometimes  do  not 
include  provision  for  keeping  water  out  of  construc- 
tion joints  between  the  concrete  frame  and  the  curtain 
walls. 

The  illustration  shows  simple  means  to  accomplish 
this.    A  groove  the  width  of  a  concrete  curtain  wall, 


132 


or  slightly  wider  than  tile  or  brick  to  be  used  to  allow 
for  clearance,  will  answer  at  columns. 

The  seat  for  curtain  walls  should  be  depressed  slight- 
ly. The  surface  of  wall  beams  will  prevent  leakage  at 
that  point  while  a  strip  of  metal  lath  bent  so  as  to  be 
molded  into  the  beam  can  be  plastered  to  form  a  tight 
joint  at  the  bottom  of  the  beam. — Philip  Tritch,  San 
Diego,  Calif. 


Watertight  Joints  in  Concrete  Building 

[Editor's  Note:  It  is  believed  that  equally  good  re- 
sults would  be  obtained  at  less  cost  by  setting  the  cur- 
tain wall  back  and  allowing  the  slightly  projecting 
beam  to  act  as  a  drip  member,  unless  a  curtain  wall 
flush  with  the  outside  of  the  concrete  frame  is  neces- 
sary. Feb.,  191 7,  p.  52.] 


133 


Spare  Tower  Hopper  Serves  as 
Car  Unloader 

Where  aggregate  is  used  direct  from  the  cars  to  the 
mixer,  unnecessary  handling  can  be  eliminated  and  the 
number  of  men  required  reduced  by  hanging  to  the 
side  of  the  car  a  standard  steel  tower  hopper,  if  one  is 
available.  The  hopper  serves  as  a  reservoir,  into  which 
four  men  can  shovel  while  one  man  operates  the  slid- 
ing gate  at  the  bottom  and  charges  the  wheelbarrows 
as  they  come  up.   A  hopper  can  of  course  be  built  of 


A.  tftovrJ Shovclcjzj.' 
/frfoc/r  />ut 


4 

W       6  Jtro.vs  faucet  t*j 

a 


Use  of  Standard  Tower  Hopper  as  Car  Unloader 

wood  for  the  same  purpose,  if  the  steel  hopper  is  not 
at  hand.  The  hopper  should  be  hung  with  hooks  in 
such  a  way  that  it  can  be  slid  along  the  side  of  the 
car,  so  as  at  all  times  to  have  the  shovelers  close  to 
their  work. 

Comparison  between  this  method  of  unloading  and 
the  old  way,  where  the  cars  were  unloaded  to  the 
ground  and  the  material  reshoveled  into  the  wheel- 
barrow, is  as  follows : 


134 


Old  Way  (V/2  or  2:3:5  Mix) 


Hours 

Unloading  one  car  rock,  14  men     28 

Sand,  14  men   ,   10JA 

Rock,  5  wheelers  * 

Rock,  5  loaders    22# 

Sand,  3  wheelers    13^ 

Sand,  3  loaders    13^ 


Total    110^ 


Requires  the  use  of  16  No.  2  shovels. 
Some  material  wasted. 

New  Way 

Hours 


Rock,  5  wheelers    22% 

5  men  unloading  rock   22  54 

3  men  wheeling  sand   13^4 

3  men  unloading  sand    13^ 


Total    71 


Requires  the  use  of  6  No.  2  shovels. 
No  spoiled  material  left. 

— Glen.  H.  Thompson.    [Apr.,  1918,  p.  140.] 

Using  Structural  Columns  as  Ventilating 
Ducts 

In  some  of  the  new  buildings  of  the  Ford  Motor 
Co.  in  Detroit  the  problem  of  ventilation  has  been 
solved  in  part  by  arranging  ducts  inside  the  struc- 
tural columns.  Naturally  the  columns  are  larger 
than  would  be  necessary  if  they  were  solid.  They 
are  circular  and  poured  in  steel  forms.  Galvanized 
pipe  the  size  of  the  required  duct  was  located  con- 
centrically with  the  forms  while  intakes  of  cast 
iron  were  attached  to  the  form  and  the  galvanized 
pipe.  This  method  provides  at  low  cost  an  efficient 
provision  for  ventilation  so  located  as  to  be  in  no 
danger  of  damage  and  entirely  concealed.  [Feb., 

Mending  Rubber  Hose 
Rubber  hose  on  construction  work  invariably  de- 
velops leaks  through  rough  handling.  Leaks  are  a 
nuisance  and  often  hose  is  thrown  away  that  with 
a  little  trouble  could  be  easily  repaired.  The  usual 
method  of  repairing  leaks  is  by  wrapping  them  with 


135 


a  piece  of  cloth — usually  a  cement  bag — and  the  re- 
sult is  never  satisfactory.  A  good  and  lasting  repair 
job  is  very  easily  made.  At  an  electrician's  supply 
store  buy  a  roll  of  ordinary  tar  insulating  tape  and 
a  roll  of  rubber  insulating  tape.  To  mend  the  leak 
stop  the  water  and  wipe  off  the  outside  of  the  hose. 
Wrap  the  rubber  tape  around  the  hose  over  the 
leak  and  about  1"  each  way,  letting  the  edges  of 
the  tape  overlap.  One  thickness  is  enough.  The 
rubber  tape  is  soft  and  sticks  to  the  hose.  Then 
wrap  rubber  tape  with  tar  tape  to  protect  it  from 
wear.    [Feb.,  1917,  p.  87.] 

Placing  Lead  Flashing 

Specifications  sometimes  call  for  lead  flashings.  It 
is  usually  placed  by  leaving  a  raglet  and  pointing  the 


LeodJ/os/vng 


iron 


Wood  Jb/ock 


OK/77 


A  Method  of  Placing  Lead  Flashing 
flashing  in  place  after  the  forms  are  stripped.   On  ac- 
count of  the  softness  of  the  material  it  cannot  be 
ticked  on  the  forms  and  the  concrete  placed,  as  with 


136 


copper  flashing.  As  the  best  results  are  obtained  by 
having  the  flashing  in  place  when  the  concrete  is 
poured,  the  following  method  was  devised,  which  was 
entirely  satisfactory.  The  lead  flashing,  bent  to  proper 
shape,  is  supported  on  a  piece  of  galvanized  iron  bent 
ir  the  form  of  a  right  angle.  This  galvanized  iron,  in 
turn,  is  supported  by  triangular  shaped  pieces  of  1-in. 
material,  nails  being  driven  through  the  blocks  into  the 
form.  These  blocks  are  spaced  about  20"  to  24"  apart 
and  either  can  be  removed  when  the  forms  are  stripped 
and  the  cavity  left  by  them  pointed,  or  they  can  be  left 
in  place  and  the  base  flashing  nailed  to  them. 

Copper  or  galvanized  iron  flashing,  on  account  of  its 
greater  stiffness,  can  be  supported  directly  on  the  tri- 
angular blocks. — Samuel  Warren,  N.  Y.  C.  [Feb., 
W7,  p.  5'-] 

Removing  Ink  Stains  from  Stucco 
and  Concrete 

As  to  removing  ink  stains  from  concrete  or  stucco, 
I  cannot  advise  definitely,  as  much  depends  on  the 
nature  of  the  ink,  the  depth  of  the  penetration,  etc. 
In  general,  however,  we  find  that  a  strong  solution  of 
caustic  soda  applied  in  successive  treatments  will 
eventually  remove  most  ink  stains  entirely.  This  can- 
not injure  the  concrete  and  should  be  tried  by  all 
means.  Oxalic  acid  is  also  effective  in  many  cases. 
A  10%  solution  should  be  used,  the  concrete  being 
allowed  to  dry  out  between  applications.  My  own 
experience  with  this  is  that  it  is  less  effective  than 
the  caustic  soda.  It  might  be  possible  to  cover  the 
spots  with  a  paint  made  with  white  cement  and  finely 
ground  marble,  but  this  should  not  be  resorted  to  until 
all  efforts  to  remove  the  stains  themselves  have  failed. 
— William  B.  Newberry,  Sandusky  Cement  Co.,  Cleve- 
land. 


137 


Our  recommendation  would  be  to  wash  the  surface 
with  hot  water  and  a  scrub  brush,  taking  off  nearly  all 
of  the  ink.  Then  to  have  the  same  mechanic  who  did 
the  original  work  do  the  front  over  again,  stopping 
on  the  corners  and  not  lapping  around  onto  the  sides, 
would  make  a  fresh,  clean  looking  front,  but  would 
not  show  mussy  joints.  After  washing,  paint  the  sur- 
face of  the  complete  house  with  a  specially  prepared 
cement  wash,  tinted  if  desired,  that  mixed  with  water 
and  applied  with  a  brush,  or  through  a  spray  pump, 
becomes  part  of  the  wall. 

Regarding  stains  on  a  floor,  that  is  a  much  more 
difficult  matter  to  cure.  If  it  is  an  ordinary  concrete 
floor,  we  would  scrub  it.  Then  we  would  take  a  car- 
borundum brick  No.  150  grain  and  some  pulverized 
sand  and  with  plenty  of  water  carefully  grind  the 
floor  down. 

If  the  floor  is  pitted  during  this  grinding,  we  would 
fill  the  pits  with  a  bonding  cement  (extra  finely  ground 
Portland  cement — Editor),  troweling  the  bonding  ce- 
ment onto  a  well  soaked  surface  late  in  the  afternoon, 
using  just  enough  material  to  fill  the  pits.  The  next 
morning  early  spread  a  coat  of  damp  sand  over  the 
floor  and  keep  sand  wet  3  or  4  days.  If  this  is  done 
all  over  the  porch  floor,  it  should  correct  the  trouble. — 
S.  W.  Curtis.    [Aug.,  1917,  p.  52.] 


Where  a  stucco  finish  or  concrete  floor  has  been 
stained  with  ink,  I  would  suggest  the  following  treat- 
ment, which  will  obliterate  all  traces  of  ink.  In  2 
qts.  of  water  dissolve  y2  lb.  of  chloride  of  lime.  Let 
the  solution  stand  24  hours  and  strain  through  several 
thicknesses  of  clean  cloth.  Add  8  drams  of  26% 
acetic  acid.  Apply  this  mixture  to  the  stained  spots 
with  a  piece  of  cloth  wadded  on  the  end  of  a  stick,  and 
remove  the  surplus  by  dousing  with  water. 

This  treatment  wrill  remove  all  the  ink  it  can  get 
to,  except  document  safety  inks  containing  carbon,  or 

138 


inks  containing  prussian  blue.  I  do  not  know  what 
effect  the  mixture  will  have  on  the  concrete  or  stucco, 
but  do  not  imagine  it  will  injure  it.  If  the  stucco  is 
perfectly  white,  it  may  leave  a  yellowish  spot,  but  if 
care  is  taken  in  making  the  mixture  the  stain  left  by 
it  should  be  slight  and  easy  to  cover  so  as  not  to  be 
noticeable. — Alfred  J.  Miller.    [Oct.,  1917,  p.  123.] 

Caisson  Excavation  Costs  Reduced 

In  the  construction  of  a  central  heating  plant  in  De- 
troit, a  large  number  of  caissons  were  sunk  60'  deep, 
through  heavy  clay.  Holes  were  4'  6"  in  dia.  spaced 
about  from  9'  to  16'  each  way. 

In  handling  this  work,  T.  Murphy,  superintendent 
for  the  contractor,  A.  A.  Albrecht  Co.,  adopted  a  novel 
method.  A  number  of  timber  platforms  were  built 
at  such  a  height  that  the  material  could  be  dumped 
from  them  directly  into  wagons  and  these  were  set 
up  over  the  holes  and  a  tripod  erected  carrying  a  block 
over  which  the  hoisting  ropes  ran.  The  ropes  were 
led  back  to  the  ground  through  a  snatch  block  and 
then  to  the  niggerhead  of  a  hoist.  As  many  as  four 
ropes  were  laid  to  each  hoist  and  could  be  handled 
alternately  by  a  hoist  operator.  One  Novo  hoist  op- 
erated by  a  gasoline  engine  and  two  electric  hoists  were 
used.  Two  men  in  each  hole  filled  the  bucket  and 
placed  the  lagging  which  consisted  of  4'  sections, 
tongue  and  groove  2'  x  6",  of  planks  held  in  place 
by  spreader  rings. 

To  handle  the^soil,  wagons  were  driven  alongside 
the  platforms  and  loadQ4>  -tfROUgh  extra  wagpris-bdtig. 
used  to  keep  the  teams  etfrqdoyed*  s&iadily, :,.  ;  ^     i  I  I 

There  was,  therefore,  rip  time  lost  for  teams.  Costs 
were  cut  $2.00  per  cu.  yd/  frpm  fo^mefr  costs  pn»sirh-- 
ilar  work.    [July,  1917,  p.  Yf\     .  ; 


139 


New  Ideas  in  Manhole  Construction 
Two  clever  wrinkles  in  the  construction  of  duct 
lines  and  manholes  for  underground  electrical  work 
are  utilized  by  the  Public  Service  Co.  of  N.  J.  in  street 
work  now  being  done. 


] 
] 
] 

Fig.  1 — Corner  Detail  of  Manhole  Forms 
Fia  2 — Sketch  of  Insert  Form  for  Duct  Placing 

A  typical  conduit  line  is  being  laid  in  Nassau  St., 
Princeton,  consisting  of  nine  J.  M.  ducts,  3"  and  3^" 
in  diam.,  the  latter  for  the  high  tension  lines.  The 
ducts  are  laid  in  concrete,  in  three  tiers  of  three  ducts 
each.  Concrete  manholes  are  constructed  at  intervals, 
mostly  5'  x  7'.  N.  C.  pine  ship-lap  boards  are  used 
for  form  sides.  These  are  nailed  to  3"  x  4"  joists, 
the  boards  constituting  the  long  sides  being  secured  to 
the  3"  edge  of  the  timbers,  and  those  making  up  the 
short  sides  of  the  manhole,  to  the  4"  sides  of  the 
joists  (Fig.  1).  The  outer  edge  of  the  joists  carrying 
the  long  sides  are  flush  with  the  back  of  the  end  forms, 
the  1"  difference  between  the  3"  and  the  4"  di- 
mension being  made  up  by  a  cleated  rstrip,  with  which 
\  :tbe  ^corner  jpist^s  ^*e  'fasteifed together.  Two  upright 
«  ^braces  are  used- oh  the  lcngr sides  and  one  on  the  short 
side,  in  both  cases  without  naming,  and  two  cross-braces 
•aroused,  one  neap « the ^fpp^and  the  other  near  the  bot- 

140 


When  removing  the  form,  the  cross-braces  are  re- 
moved and  the  ends  taken  out  first,  after  the  cleats 
attaching  them  to  the  side  forms  have  been  removed. 
By  this  means  it  is  possible  to  use  the  same  lumber  five 
or  six  times. 

The  other  feature  is  the  use  of  round  wooden  but- 
tons to  indicate  the  proper  location  of  the  ends  of  the 
ducts  which  enter  the  manhole.  These  are  1"  long 
and  of  the  same  diameter  as  that  of  the  ducts  used. 
The  buttons  are  screwed  to  an  auxiliary  form  of  re- 
quired size  constructed  of  2"  spruce  planks,  the  whole 
form  being  beveled  at  all  edges.  Buttons  are  spaced 
so  that  the  proper  interval  of  1",  for  concrete  filling, 
shall  intervene  between  ducts  when  laid,  and  in  proper 
alignment  so  that  the  ducts  shall  enter  the  manhole  in 
proper  lines  and  tiers. 

It  is  found  that  the  use  of  the  buttons,  which  are 
very  inexpensive,  obviates  the  difficulty  of  getting  the 
ducts  in  proper  line  and  with  the  requisite  spacing, 
which  is  inevitable  when  the  old  method  of  aiming  the 
ducts  at  lines  drawn  on  the  form  is  relied  upon.  These 
ideas  were  original  with  J.  E.  Armstrong,  Field  Engr., 
for  the  Public  Service  Co. — W.  B.  Conant,  Concord, 
Mass.    [Feb.,  iqi 7,  p.  52.] 

Monthly  Postcard  Photos  for  Advertising 
Purposes 

Bent  Bros.,  contractors,  Los  Angeles,  use  postcard 
photographs  of  their  work — usually  progress  pictures 
— with  a  few  lines  of  description,  to  advertise  their 
work.  On  the  address  side  of  the  card  in  a  space 
reserved  for  correspondence,  Bent  Bros,  list  their 
large  contracts  in  progress.  On  the  side  with  the 
illustration  the  card  calls  attention  to  one  of  the 
big  contracts.  Every  month  Bent  Bros,  send  out  a 
new  post  card  photograph  to  keep  their  work  con- 
stantly before  prospective  clients. 


141 


A  Handy  Scaffold  Bracket 

The  accompanying  sketch  shows  a  handy  light 
scaffold.  It  is  just  a  loose  bracket  staked  in  at  the 
bottom  and  leaned  against  the  building.   By  tacking 


Handy  Scaffold  Bracket 
the  runway  to  the  bracket,  swaying  is  prevented. 
It  was  used  successfully  on  group  concrete  house 
construction  at  Claymont,  Del.,  for  the  General 
Chemical  Co. 

Crushed  Firebrick  as  a  Concrete  Aggregate 
for  Special  Uses 

In  response  to  an  inquiry  as  to  the  use  of  crushed 
fire  brick  as  a  concrete  aggregate,  L.  C.  Wason,  Pres- 
ident Aberthaw  Construction  Co.,  Boston,  says  that 
this  was  used  with  success  at  the  State  Farm,  Bridge- 
water,  Mass.,  for  building  an  oven  in  which  to  bake 
bread.  The  temperatures  maintained  in  this  oven  are 
quite  high,  and  directly  over  the  fire  pot  the  concrete 
becomes  red  hot.    This  concrete  of  crushed  fire  brick 


142 


has  stood  the  racket  perfectly  for  three  or  four  years. 
Mr.  Wason  suggested  to  the  Underwriters'  Laboratory 
at  Chicago,  in  connection  with  a  fireproof  material 
test  on  columns,  that  one  or  more  specimens  be  built 
of  fire  brick  concrete.  This  was  not  acted  upon, 
probably  on  the  grounds  that  there  was  no  fire  brick 
aggregate  for  any  such  use,  and  it  would,  therefore, 
be  a  waste  of  time.  If  an  unlimited  supply  could  be 
developed,  tests  undoubtedly  would  be  made  and 
might  result  in  the  solution  of  special  problems  where 
concrete  is  to  be  subjected  to  intense  heat,  although 
firebrick  could  scarcely  be  considered  in  general  prac- 
tice, because  of  the  limited  supply.    [July,  1916,  p. 

19} 


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